O Little Borough of Brooklyn
by Laces Kai
Summary: Brooklyn can't escape the spirit of Christmas. The season reveals secrets of the not only the mighty Borough but also its mortal leader, as the reveal gives a place to a newsgirl. A tale of winter in NY & the cheer of xmas.NML 2010 Secret Santa for Relic
1. How Still We See Thee Lie

O Little Borough of Brooklyn

_A Secret Santa Story written for Relic _

By Laces

_**How Still We See Thee Lie **_

Papers flew up into the air in a burst of excitement, as the distinct sound of running echoed down an empty alley. The snow was fresh upon the ground and the papers were damp before they settled into the snow that melted the printed words of _The Journal _into each other. The two running figures dashed around the corner and luckily didn't slip as they stormed into the Brooklyn Boys Lodging House.

Spot Conlon was leaning against his black cane at the bottom of the stairs before a blur of movement nearly knocked him to the ground. Before Spot could regain his composure another blur kicked at his cane, but this time the leader of Brooklyn swayed momentarily before turning around to glare at the people responsible for his lapse of grace.

The pair of blue eyes twitched up in time to catch the sight of a fist knocking into a gut. Spot reacted before taking in the scene, twirling his cane up and forcefully pushing the punching aggressor away from the punched. Furious Chuckles, the punching newsie, shoved Spot's cane away as he tried to throw another fist into the kicking figure of Relic.

Chuckles was heaving, his freckles burning on his flushed face. Ignoring the cane that burn into his hip, the younger boy flew back into the kicking girl lying on the step. Relic kicked her thin brown soles up at Chuckles, flaring up the layers of her skirts.

Ruin, the newsie that had been talking to his leader only moments before had absorbed the scene faster than his fearless captain and jumped in immediately sending a solid set of his right hand knuckles into Chuckles jaw.

"What you doing hitting a girl?" Ruin demanded as Chuckles fell down to the ground clutching his own jaw in pain. Relic started to hurl herself down the stairs to finish the fight she had begun but Spot shot his cane out, letting the girl's gut impact into it before he caught her around the waist. Spot's right arm clutched the thin waist of Relic as he carefully started twirling his cane around with his left hand, a habit that indicated he was waiting for someone to explain themselves.

"That little tart started the fight," Chuckles grumbled, still sitting on the ground. Ruin shook his head as he looked over at his best friend, not for a second doubting the little brunette haired girl in Spot's strong arm had started the fight.

"Who told you to call women tarts?" Spot kicked at his newsie swiftly.

"She ain't no woman, she's Relic. Sides, she's got a decking coming to her." Chuckles demanded justice as he stood up, still rubbing his jaw.

"You want to soak someone?" Spot asked controlling his tone, as he pushed Relic at Ruin. Relic tripped in her own skirts before Ruin caught her and held onto her shoulders, expertly holding her still while Spot dealt with Chuckles. Chuckles scrambled to his feet, not wanting to be caught with any more disadvantages to Spot than necessary.

"I just want to teach the thing a lesson is all," Chuckles pointed at Relic again. Spot took a step up to the younger boy, their faces inches from each other.

"I ever find you beating on a girl again and I'll soak the blood out of ya. You understand?" Spot whispered. The gray cap that rarely left his head was casting a menacing shadow over most of Spot's face as he threatened the younger boy. Chuckles clenched his jaw and even his freckles appeared to burn with indignation but the hot-tempered Irish boy knew better than to pick a fight with Spot.

"Yeah, Spot. But she's the one that started it." Chuckles complained.

"Don't I take care of problems with me newsies?" Spot demanded leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well…" Chuckles grumbled feeling uncomfortable under the icy cold stare of Spot Conlon.

"Go on with you, get." Spot tilted his head towards the door. Chuckles shot a dirty look at Relic, still being cradled in Ruin's arms before he ducked down picking up the last few papers he had left. Spot waited until Chuckles had shut the lodging house door before turning around to stare at Ruin and Relic.

The fierce fighting misfits of Harlem had proven their worth in their new borough months ago. Ruin was a level headed boy, who just couldn't safely carry or be around anything breakable. He had easily and readily been accepted into the Brooklyn bunch even though he smiled more than the average Brooklyn boy. Ruin was an quick on his feet, fiercely loyal and had undefeated fists of lead. Relic, on the other hand, was a much more complicated story. Ruin had easily spun the girl around in his arms as he bent down to examine her face.

"Did he hurt you?" Ruin was pressing his fingers into Relic's gut, watching her face react to any pain. Ruin was a tall boy, basically towering over the much shorter Relic in his arms. Relic was struggling against her best friend, avoiding eye contact with the leader that was now staring at her.

"Relic," Spot smacked his lips together. Ruin released Relic as Spot beckoned the girl towards him.

"Afternoon, Spot." Relic smiled nervously, standing rooted next to Ruin. Ruin rounded his shoulder slightly pushing Relic forward.

"Haven't I told you not to pick fights with my boys?" Spot demanded.

"It wasn't my fault Spot, see the thing was…" Relic started to explain.

"It's never your fault. I'm going to let one of them beat you up one of these days," Spot warned tipping up his cane to press into Relic's chin.

"He ripped my jacket and it's the only one I got!" Relic spat defensively.

"And you dumped most of his papers into the snow, I think you got even there Relic." Ruin chuckled.

"Why do you got to go tell them I'm a girl anyway for?" Relic crossed her arms and demanded of Ruin. Her green eyes intense with confusion as she made her demand of her best friend. Ever since they had come to Brooklyn, Ruin had insisted upon pointing out that she was indeed a girl.

"Because you are a girl, stop fighting with me boys." Spot knocked her on the head with his cane.

"You got money for the string to mend your jacket?" Ruin asked seriously. He fumbled in his own pocket for the few coins he had earned. Relic was a newsie, a requirement for the lodging house that she couldn't fight or argue her way out of, but the art of selling papers for a penny a day wasn't the girl's strong suit. She preferred the art of gambling and the freedom of adventure rather than the daily grind.

"I got it." Relic frowned at her best friend. She hated when he assumed that she couldn't take care of herself, and yes there was a high probability that she would steal the thread but still.

"Stay out of trouble?" Ruin begged her before he started towards the door.

"Where's you going?" Relic skipped along with the quiet brooding leader and her best friend.

"A show, and no you're not invited." Spot snapped. He pushed his cane into a belt loop before shoving his hands into his jacket pocket preparing for the bitter cold of the city's winter.

"He's in a mood." Ruin mouthed the warning to Relic while pointing at Spot's back.

"Yeah, well I didn't want to go anyway." Relic swung a fist into the air, stopping inches away from Spot's neck. Ruin's eyebrows shot up and he shook his head.

"Be good." He whispered as he trudged along after the leader of Brooklyn. The boys stiffly walked out of the lodging house and Relic ducked out of the lodging house before the door was slammed shut by a gust of wind.

Brooklyn smelled almost clean with the fresh layer of snow. The finest borough of the city was quiet in the cold, a fine steam rising from buildings like the restlessness stirring beneath the peace. The long street in front of the Brooklyn Boys Lodging House was emptier than usual, as Spot and Ruin walked east towards the arts district with their shoulders hunched up and their heads down. Spot's determined walk would signal to any boys passing by that he was in no mood to be disturbed. Ruin was jogging as a way to keep up with the strides of Spot and in order to keep himself warm. In the opposite direction heading west, towards the markets and laundry corners of the city Relic bustled along.

She held her face up letting the winter breeze brush her cheeks and leave splotches of rosy red. She jumped into a mound of snow completely disregarding the hems of her skirts that became heavier with moisture by the second. Relic was not use to the skirts she wore, but in the winter it was sensible to dress in the layers of female clothing rather than in the singular pieces that her newsboy counterparts wore.

She tugged on the loose string from her jacket lightly, the noticeable tear of her jacket making her blood boil again. She would have revenge on a certain newsie before the day was through, but first to find some thread and needle.

As she walked along the brick buildings, playfully kicking at the snow the girl stopped at the crevice between two tenant buildings. The crevice, not quite an alley but not quite the street, housed a small game of craps. A pair of black boots, a match boy and a few of the boys that lived in the building were crowded around a pile of knick knacks and two dice.

"Two pennies," Relic threw down the coins and smiled at the circle of some familiar faces.

"You always cheat," A tiny little match boy cried.

"You can't cheat at craps stupid," One of the bigger black boots that didn't know Relic declared.

"Well she does." The match boy grumbled as Relic grabbed the dice from the nearby newsie and rolled. The dice tumbled from shaking hand to shaking hand, as the players rubbed their hands together and soon started smoking trying to keep themselves warm. The night's darkness was starting to descend on them and lights of candles and the new fangled electric Christmas strings were starting to twinkle in windows. A few games later and Relic had lost the few coins she had managed to earn earlier that morning. She was loosing patience with the game.

"Look here Ted, I don't know what game you think you're playing but I'm going to give you a shiner the size of Manhattan if you don't stop stealing me money." Relic shook her fist at the largest of the Black Boots. Ted puffed at his cigarette calmly, grinning enough to make his features covered in black soot and blotches of red on his cheeks, strike fear into the rest of the group but Relic.

"Girls shouldn't be out gambling at night anyway," Ted let out the words slowly, condescendingly. The words sent Relic into a fury and she swung the base of her palm upwards into the boy's chin as she tried not to trip over her own skirts. The circle broke into chaos as another figure dropped seemingly from no where and immediately sent a knee into Ted's hip.

"There's a bull on the corner, we have to get out of here." A voice pleaded before a warm hand grabbed Relic's nearly frozen wrist. Relic didn't need to be warned twice about the law, she started running but not as fast as the warm creature that lead her away from the scene.

The two ran until Relic suddenly smacked into a wooden barrel and stumbled back. A girl bundled in a fancy double breasted coat and a wool scarf sat on top of the barrel, her dark brown eyes smiling mischievously.

"Of course it was you," Relic commented through chattering teeth. Not being hidden in between the brick walls of tenant buildings allowed for the bitter wind of the winter wonderland to absorb all the heat in Relic's body. Laces unwrapped the scarf around her mouth, releasing the messy curls of her hair and nimbly pulled a single cigarette from one of her coat pockets. She quickly threw both objects at Relic without much warning and jumped down from the barrel.

"Where do you even come from? And where did you get that coat?" Relic asked grumpily.

"I was around." Laces shrugged still smiling.

"Around, you're always just around." Relic grumbled a bit as she gratefully wrapped the warm scarf around her shoulders. Laces was a bit shorter than Relic, and was as Relic said always just around. Since Relic had arrived in Brooklyn with Ruin just a year before, Laces had been a constant staple to her life. That first day in Brooklyn back in the Spring, Laces had appeared out of thin air walking in-between Ruin and Relic offering tips on how to make a good impression on the boy king of Brooklyn.

"And you're always in a fight. Your jacket is torn." Laces was pulling at the tear in Relic's jacket. Relic had grown accustom to the strange way that Laces appeared out of thin air and moved faster than normal people but she still questioned it every time it happened.

"Stupid Chuckles," Relic huffed. Laces laughed at the anger in Relic's voice.

Relic's green eyes flashed with anger towards Laces, steadily taking in the girl's appearance and judging the odds of winning in a fight. Laces' face was the only inch of her body not covered in clothing, showing off her odd dark but pale skin complexion that often made Relic believe the girl was part Italian. But Laces never shared information about herself, information about everything else and the bubbly girl was impossible to shut up. Relic had tried many times to judge if she could indeed beat Laces in a fight, but never been able to conclude anything mostly because Laces would react to the searching green stare before any punches could be thrown.

"Here's your money back," Laces opened her palm and four pennies and a shoe lace were sitting in her hand.

"The shoe lace wasn't mine." Relic commented as she grabbed her pennies.

"I tend to loose my laces a lot, so you know that I sort of just took that." Laces smiled innocently. Laces was an excellent pick pocket, a skill she had often refused to teach Relic claiming each time that Relic had enough bad habits for one person.

The two girls started walking down the street, Laces cautiously and discreetly leading Relic back towards the Brooklyn Lodging House. The two girls were unlikely friends, guarded Relic trusting the ever elusive Laces and the fleeting Laces standing still long enough to have a friend in Relic.

"This should be enough thread to fix that tear in your jacket." Laces commented softly holding out her index finger that had black thread and a tiny needle holding it around her knuckle. Relic hesitated in taking the thread for a moment, remembering how she had intended to go find some of her own.

"My sister's a seamstress; at least I lifted this fairly. If you go out to the laundry district you're going to just get into trouble and well Spot's in enough of a mood at this time of the year for you to go adding to it." Laces sighed recognizing the look on Relic's face. Relic pushed her heels into the snowy dirt beneath her thin shoes stubbornly and glared at Laces, unsure what part of her statement to tackle first.

"You got a sister?" Surprisingly the first thing that tumbled out of Relic's mouth wasn't any of her annoyance at being proclaimed trouble, or even about the information about Spot's mood.

"We all got siblings we don't talk about." Laces eyebrows popped with clear knowledge that made Relic clench her fists. Laces always knew secrets, things she shouldn't know, histories buried so deep they should be floating down the East River but it infuriated Relic when she made such knowing comments. Relic didn't have siblings, certainly not a brother that had broken her heart at the age of nine with his horrific display of violence.

A fist shot out before Relic even processed her own anger, it was her own fist towards the spot where Laces face had just been. Laces was now to the left of her friend having ducked out of the way easily enough. She had a charming smile on and was holding out a flaming match.

"I gave you a cigarette so you could keep warm." Laces lifted Relic's hand and lit the cigarette. That was the problem with Laces, always a step ahead of everyone she was around. And the girl was impossible to be mad at with her constant smiling and laughter paired with her almost mind reading ways of being helpful.

Relic puffed at the cigarette and took the thread and needle without anymore thought to strange siblings. The girls were silent again for a few steps as they continued on their journey.

"You look ridiculous in that coat." Relic finally scoffed.

"Ridiculous but warm." Laces giggled. "Besides, Pockets picked it up from a shipment near James & Co."

Pockets Harper another mysterious creature of the Brooklyn streets, a sometimes newsie, a sometimes boot black, and a mostly pick pocket. But he was always just around, appearing out of the same thin air as Laces with knowledge of secrets and things that were happening across the river.

"You still staying away from Manhattan on account of Jack seeing Sarah?" Relic asked pleased she knew something about her mysterious friend.

"No," Laces rolled her dark eyes. "Jack Kelly can see whoever he pleases, wants to be with a girl that ain't never picked a pocket…"

Relic puffed at her cigarette smiling at the warm air that entered her lungs but more at her friend's annoyance. Laces was a well known girl of Jack Kelly but since the strike, Kelly had been fancying the Walking Mouth's sister over the street savvy Laces.

A crowd of carolers stepped onto the main street from a corner, singing joyfully the words of the season's joys. The girls stood politely waiting for the carolers to ignore them and pass along.

"Deck the Halls with balls of holly..." The group cheerful hummed.

"Try not to get into a fight with Chuckles," Laces whispered, ignoring the singing that erupted from the elderly woman in a feather hat in front of her.

"Why not, he torn my jacket that rotten scab has got it coming to him." Relic growled as she made eye contact with a young gentlemen giggling the chorus of Deck the Halls.

As Relic flicked her finished cigarette out onto the dirty street, Laces adopted an unnaturally serious tone of voice.

"Spot is not forgiving around Christmas time. He ain't one who believes in the spirit of the season you could say. He's got a shorter fuse than usual." Laces warned. Relic frowned ready to question the proclamation but the coated hooligan had vanished.

"How does she do that?" Relic glanced around her trying to catch a glimpse of the coat her friend had been wearing but the street was empty as even the carolers had moved on. She gave up the search knowing that when Laces disappeared, she didn't reappear until she felt like it.

Relic clutched to her scarf as bits of snow started to tumbled down around her bright pink lips together she started humming the catchy tune of Deck the Halls as she wondered what it was that Laces meant about Spot and the season.


	2. Above Thy Deep and Dreamless Sleep

_**Above Thy Deep and Dreamless Sleep **_

Spot Conlon was in a foul mood. He hated snow. He hated how cold the city was in December. And he absolutely hated the spirit of charity that ran amuck around his city during the season. He was not looking forward to entering his lodging house to find some preaching ladies from the protestant society pretending to come in to teach for good will but actually trying to spout about the evils of the Irish Catholics.

At least he had spent a decent afternoon in the warmth of a vaudeville theater, watching the latest of the comedy acts with Ruin. Ruin was a perfect companion when Spot was in a terrible mood; the boy was respectfully quiet and almost contagiously cheerful.

"New girl?" Spot prompted his companion. It was always easy to deduce why it was that Ruin was happy and it always involved some doll from somewhere.

"Hannah from the corner bakery, she helps make the winter cakes. She always smells like warm cakes, the kind that the nuns use to bring to the orphanage when I was little." Ruin smiled idiotically. Ruin had a new girl every other week.

"What about you and Relic?" Spot finally asked what had been bothering him for months. Ruin had arrived in Brooklyn, specifically on the docks, with a fancy shiner and his fists ready for the next fight. That had been normal and not unheard of on the Brooklyn docks but the feisty girl that had come with her fists up and appeared to be stuck like glue to Ruin's side had been something new.

Spot had been weary of allowing a girl, especially such a strange one, into his lodging house but Ruin assured him the girl could protect herself. That hadn't been what had won Spot over though, it had been Relic that convinced him. She had piped up inserting her own independence refusing to separate from Ruin and seek refuge at one of the girl's lodging houses.

The two were inseparable at first and Spot had watched carefully, noticing the nervous habits of Relic to jump when someone slammed a door or when one of the other boys got to close to her. He watched as Ruin was the only one that could touch Relic without her getting into a fist fight. Laces had once explained to Spot that Relic had been abused somewhere in Manhattan by a gang member and that was why she reacted as she did. So Spot was uncharacteristically patient with the troublesome girl from Harlem, but she had to start calming down soon or Spot would be forced to kick her out.

"What about me and Relic?" Ruin asked alarmed. Spot smirked noticing how Ruin tensed up because the boy was use to being held accountable for the infractions that Relic committed in the lodging house. Spot didn't believe in hitting women, though on occasion one or two girls had been known to receive a few licks from the fearless leader but those were mostly deserved. But he had run into a problem when it came to controlling the temper and disregard for order that Relic caused for his boys. Until he realized that if he knocked Ruin a few, Relic would behave immediately feeling guilty for causing her best friend pain. The interesting part of the dynamic is that Ruin took the hits for the girl readily and Spot was always surprised that Ruin didn't refuse the unfair punishments he doled out.

"Don't you want her to be your girl?" Spot demanded harshly, harsher than he wanted to sound but it had started to snow and his mood was quickly darkening again.

"No," Ruin snorted. "Relic's a great girl and all, but she's my best friend. We've been through a lot together and well she's been through a lot alone. We too different to be anything but friends, you know?"

"You seem like the same to me," Spot shrugged. He had people to pay attention to details for him so he rarely searched beyond the surface appearances of anyone.

"Nah, me I've always been sort of a disaster." Ruin laughed.

"Like when you broke my slingshot last week," Spot muttered.

"Yeah sorry about that boss," Ruin shrugged apologetically. "But Relic, well she's always had all this anger and ain't like she shouldn't but that's why she's always fighting with people. I just have to stay away from things that I can drop, break or somehow ruin while her, she should stay away from anyone that don't understand her."

"So everyone?" Spot nodded.

"Maybe," Ruin laughed. "You ain't mad about the fight with Chuckles?"

"You got to get her to stop fighting with everyone." Spot warned weary yet again. The boys trudged up the stoop of the Lodging House, Spot's face set in a frown prepared as he heard crashing. As Ruin stepped in, the hooting and hollering of boys made it clear that there was a fight inside. Spot snapped his attention into the parlor to see Chuckles and Relic struggling on the ground.

"Before I do kick you out," Spot gritted his teeth as he knocked his cane against the wood floor.

The rest of the newsies were crowding around the entryway of the lodging house, climbing over each other to watch the fight progress. The hooting and hollering stopped when Spot entered and a tensed silence fell over the group.

"What you doing just standing there?" Spot demanded of Bullseye, his second in command was lounging in a old brown chair.

"Watching Chuckles get his bum kicked by a girl." Bullseye shrugged. Bullseye was a strong imposing type, the very character of Brooklyn with broad shoulders and readily clenched fists.

"And you decided not to stop this because?" Spot glared down at Bullseye.

Chuckles pulled strands of brown hair forcefully as Relic screeched. Ruin was struggling around the couch, trying to figure out how to intervene with the least amount of damage to anyone or anything.

"She's a feisty thing. She wants to fight with him for tearing her jacket. Let them fight." Bullseye said with all the common sense that often made him the perfect second in command to the impulsive Conlon.

"We don't let the boys fight." Spot spat in frustration.

"Why again?" Bullseye asked. Spot's patience was dissolving by the word and Bullseye knew he was pushing his luck.

"I'll deal with you later." Spot crossed his arms and turned around to watch the fight for a second.

Chuckles had grasped his fingers around Relic's neck and was viciously choking the girl. Relic struggled as she started coughing. Ruin still wasn't sure how to get involved, while Spot took a step forward and kicked Chuckles.

"You two quit it." Spot clutched his hand around his cane. Chuckles had let go of Relic's neck and she used his distraction to her advantage. She sunk her teeth into Chuckle's forearm. Bullseye had finally jumped to his feet and nodded at Ruin. The boys intervened quickly with Ruin picking up Relic and Bullseye grabbing Chuckles by the scruff of his neck.

"Ruin, upstairs with her. I don't want to see her again until tomorrow." Spot commanded. Ruin nodded as he threw his friend over his shoulder.

"Conlon, I'm not a child! You can't just send me to bed." Relic struggled against Ruin, punching into her friend's back with all her residual strength from the fight. Spot beckoned Ruin to bring Relic closer and Ruin obliged.

"You want to be in Brooklyn?" Spot cupped the girl's chin in his left hand and stared right into her eyes. Ruin squeezed the girl's torso warning her not to blow it for them. They had been in Brooklyn longer than anywhere else except the orphanage.

The silence was all the affirmative that Spot needed, as the intimidating individual that he was, Spot was use to people not responding to him. He nodded.

"You want me to give Ruin a bloody nose?" Spot pressed, still not letting go of her chin. Ruin's back straightened as if bracing himself to take the decking.

"No," Relic whispered.

"You've been in three fights today," Spot stated the fact. Relic opened her mouth to protest his knowledge but Bullseye shook his head ever so softly from over Spot's shoulder. It was true, she had been in three fights but Spot should only know about two.

"And I don't feel like beating someone up today, so you get some time to cool off and I don't have to get me hands dirty. Understand?" Spot let go of her chin finally and tilted his head at Bullseye. Bullseye smacked the back of Chuckles head and shook the boy before giving him a swift kick in the behind.

"Ruin, a bloody nose if that girl doesn't stay upstairs and quiet." Spot warned as he turned and pushed Bullseye into the corner of the parlor.

Ruin jogged up the stairs with Relic fighting with him every step until they entered the bunk room and the boy dropped her.

"Why you got to be so stubborn?" Ruin let out an exasperated sigh and looked critically at his best friend. Relic squinted at her eyes at him and started to lift her fists up to her chin.

"Ah don't get into a fight with me now Rel, I'm bigger than you now. We ain't five anymore, you can't beat me up for not letting you on the swing. I like it here." Ruin whined as he walked to the bunk nearest the window.

"I can still make you cry." Relic grumbled under her breath.

"You made me cry once, just once. Never going to live that down! So who was your third fight with?" Ruin asked curiously. He jumped up onto the top bunk of the bed he shared with Relic.

The bunk near the window was strangely constructed as the bunk that Ruin and Relic shared. The top bunk was normal but the bottom had curtains nailed up around it, the closest to private quarters that anyone had ever gotten in the Brooklyn bunk room. Spot had insisted that if Relic refused to leave the bunk room some kind of division had to be made, something about a previous situation being problematic.

"How does he know things like that?" Relic demanded tying up one of the curtains to sit on the edge of her bed.

"He's Spot Conlon, he knows everything." Ruin laughed. "But seriously, who else were you fighting with?"

"Stupid Ted," Relic scoffed.

"The boot black?" Ruin asked confused. "Wait. The boot black that likes to play craps and carries a knife?"

Relic ignored him as she pulled out the thread that Laces had given her and slipping out of her jacket careful not to rip it anymore. She started to sew together the item that had started all her problems today.

"Relic," Ruin popped his head over the edge of his own bunk and glared at her.

"Ruin," Relic repeated mocking his tone.

"He carries a knife!" Ruin chastised her. He was tired of the fight, Relic sought out trouble that was dangerous better than a stick of dynamite in his opinion. That's why Brooklyn had been so good for the best friends, Brooklyn was dangerous but better it scared the devil out of everyone else. Just being from Brooklyn was like standing inside a brick building and Ruin often found he didn't have to worry about Relic as much. Not to mention his fists were appreciated but not needed as much as when they had been with Harlem and less than when they had been with the gang. Ruin fought if he had too but he wasn't a huge fan of the violence, not since he had seen how it consumed Ben's boys.

"I can take care of myself," Relic spat at him. Ruin sighed and rolled his eyes sitting back up again.

"Why was Conlon in a mood?" Relic asked after a stretch of silence.

"Don't know." Ruin mumbled back. "Lucky that show put him in a better mood. Otherwise I think we'd been sleeping in the snow tonight. I don't want to sleep in the snow."

"We're not in the snow." Relic snapped.

"No, but I'm sitting up in my room like back when we were at the Orphanage. Not playing poker with the guys…" Ruin started tapping the end of his shoe against the post of his bed.

"So go, no one is making you stay." Relic shook her head as she used her teeth to snap the thread.

"A bloody nose is keeping me here because the moment I leave you will find some reason to come annoy Conlon…" Ruin stated trying to hide his resentment.

"Who's the new girl?" Relic asked suddenly.

"What! We're not even talking about girls." Ruin exclaimed.

"You've never liked poker." Relic laughed.

"Come on, please?" Ruin jumped down from his bunk.

"Fine, I promise to stay here." Relic held up her hand pledging to her friend.

"And…" Ruin prompted as he leaned against the bed post. Ruin was still wearing his cap slightly pushed up over his forehead, allowing Relic to see the creases in his forehead.

"And not to ask about this new doll you don't want me to know about?" Relic smiled.

"And…" Ruin insisted ignoring the commentary on his love life as he started to bounce impatiently on the balls of his feet.

"Not to get into a fight with anyone." Relic rolled her eyes.

"You are the best," Ruin winked as he bent down to drop a kiss on her head.

"You are anything but the best," Relic shouted after him as Ruin jumped out the door. Relic untied her curtains now that her friend was gone, concealing herself in her little cave. She shimmed out of her skirts and struggled out of her blouse behind her curtains as she changed into her nightgown. She might as well get a good night sleep if she was being forced into exile.

Heavy footsteps walked into the bunk room and Relic smiled knowing that Ruin had felt guilty for leaving her after all. She peaked out from behind her black curtain ready to mock Ruin for his soft nature but she couldn't see anyone.

"Ruin?" Relic whispered, suspicious she was imagining things.

"No, he went out to find his girl." Spot's voice carried from across the room. Relic knew he was standing near his bunk, out of her line of sight.

"Oh." Relic said softly. She fell back into her own pillow, trying to hide from the one person she was supposed to not annoy for the sake of Ruin. Not that Relic didn't like being in Brooklyn, actually the girl had really felt at home in the toughest borough of the city. In Brooklyn, Relic was not treated like a helpless girl while still being tentatively protected from the other boys. It wasn't like at the orphanage where she had to constantly fight with the boys to actually protect herself, there was no abuse in Brooklyn. Spot was needlessly violent regularly and easy to anger but he had a respect for women that was verging on gentlemen-like.

"Laces likes you quite a bit," Spot commented from his invisible place.

"You know her well?" Relic asked curiously.

"Better than most," Spot chuckled softly.

"Does she know you better than most?" Relic asked the question before she even knew she wanted the answer.

Spot was silent for minutes, long enough to make Relic believe she was imagining her entire conversation with the aloof leader of Brooklyn. Finally he spoke again.

"I don't want to kick you out, but if you don't quit having fights with everyone I'm going to have to." Spot warned.

"Everyone in Brooklyn fights." Relic complained.

"I don't tolerate fighting in the lodging house and you always bring your battles home. Besides how am I suppose to enforce respect for women, if a girl is beating up me boys?" Spot sighed.

"Why do you care if they respect me?" Relic demanded.

"Why don't you?" Spot questioned back. Relic sensed that Spot knew something more about this question, something about her past with Ben that made him sound angry that she didn't defend herself.

There was a tapping on the window and Relic pulled open her curtain to stare at the window. The glass was dark and no one appeared in the night outside but Spot was walking decisively closer to her.

"Go to bed," He commanded before he opened the window and climbed out. Relic pulled her curtains shut trying to protect her body from the bitter cold that Spot had let in. Wrapping her wool blanket around her body, Relic stepped out of her bunk and trudged over to the window looking out carefully holding her face centimeters from the cold glass. The night was dark and her breathing started fogging up the window quickly, making it even harder to find Spot. She frowned and carefully tucked her fingers under the window frame and pushed up. Shivering, she stepped back into her little brown shoes before stepping onto the fire escape.

"Go back inside before you freeze to death," Pockets hissed from somewhere in the darkness of the night.

"But, where is…" Relic tried to ask through chattering teeth.

"It's going to make him angry if you eavesdrop. Just go back inside. You're going to get pneumonia." Pockets barely whispered.

"Fine, but I'm not listening because you told me to but because I've lost feeling to me nose." Relic grumbled before stepping back inside where it that was significantly warmer than the fire escape had been. Relic scampered back into her own bed and settled into her pillow. She became determined to pay attention to the window, ready to take note of how long Spot was outside. She started wondering who had tapped at the glass and why Pockets was outside the lodging house.

The other Brooklyn boys traveled slowly back into the bunk room noisily getting ready for bed. Relic ignored them better than most nights, not letting their childish antics of mocking and singing get the better of her. But before she knew it, she had dozed off to sleep dreaming of fancy coats and games of craps.

A window frame slammed shut and a nip of cold air sent a shiver up her spine hours later. The room was full of snoring and sleepy muttering, but the heavy footsteps of Spot were distinct to the groggily Relic. She peeked out carefully from her curtains and watched as Spot peeled off his thin jacket, and kicked off his shoes. His shoulders were tense, higher up and nearer to his ears than even usual. She watched as his shadow grabbed the extra blanket from the empty bunk underneath his own. She didn't slip back onto her own pillow until Spot had crawled into his own bed. She yawned trying to remember the last time she had ever seen Spot getting into bed, or if he had ever been in the bunk room when she went to bed.


	3. The Silent Stars Go By

_**The Silent Stars Go By **_

Relic sat with her legs crossed hiding in her bed as she expertly braided her hair and waited for the last few newsboys to leave the bunk room. Every morning was the same procedure, Relic hiding until the she could undress and redress in private. This morning, Relic was particularly impatient over the arrangement cursing Cap and Hank for getting up so late.

"If it keeps snowing its going to be the North Pole out there soon," Hank was complaining.

"Everyone wants a white Christmas," Cap laughed.

"Yeah, everyone who ain't got to be outside." Hank spat grumpily.

"Look on the bright side, Christmas charity means Hearst will throw us a Christmas party and some ladies group might give us gifts." Cap responded cheerfully.

Someone shouted something unintelligible from below and the last two boys scurried quickly out of the room. Just as Relic was about to jump out of her bed, a hand popped through her curtain holding a steaming hot roll.

"Thought this might help you hurry this morning," Ruin grinned as Relic pushed herself passed his hand.

"Is that fresh baked?" Relic asked her mouth watering at the smell.

"Just out of the oven," Ruin nodded. Relic pulled out her clumped up skirts and blouse from the end of her bed and started to get dressed.

"Where'd it come from?" Relic demanded.

"A Christmas Angel," Ruin winked handing her the roll as he started buttoning up the back of her shirt. Relic immediately took a bite out of the roll, giddy by the deliciously warm trinket.

"A girl?" Relic asked between bites.

"Usually," Ruin pushed Relic back to sit on the edge of the bed as he pushed her boots onto her feet.

"How long have you been awake?" Relic yawned. Ruin leaned over his friend's knees and pulled out the new scarf hiding underneath her pillow.

"Ages now, Bullseye and I went out to one of the work houses that we heard might have extra coats for the newsies." Ruin smiled. Relic frowned suddenly noticing the new coat her best friend was sporting, a gray tweed jacket that had probably belonged to some crooked politician last winter.

"That will help against the new snow," Relic tried to hide her disappointment. Ruin helped her stand back up and pushed her out of the room.

"Yeah, apparently the charity groups are worried that this winter is going to be harsher than usual and are starting to collect warm clothing." Ruin explained. The lodging house was quiet, as most of the boys were already out on their way to the selling docks.

"God bless those charity groups," Relic grumbled trying to appreciate that her friend would be warm, even though she might not be.

"Rel, try not to sound so sad. I got you a coat too," Ruin picked up a maroon coat sitting on the banister as they walked out of the bunk room. He ceremoniously placed the coat on her shoulders, moving her braid out from underneath it.

"I can always count on you," Relic giggled excitedly as she pushed her arms through the long sleeves. The coat was thick and reached down to the hems of her skirts and with her scarf, the cold of the winter in the city might be bearable.

"A lady of society you look like," Ruin laughed as he slide down the banister.

"Well like a thief of high society possibly," Relic shrugged, unable to keep from petting her own coat.

"Race me to the docks?" Ruin asked as he held open the door. Relic didn't even answer as she took off in a sprint. The two best friends ran through the new layer of snow, laughing as they were warmer than they had been in days while outside.

The selling gates were still closed as the two arrived into a snowstorm of snow balls. Ruin ducked down and patted together his ammunition while Relic held her head down and tried to stay out of the fight. Ice and dirt flew around and smashed into bits onto the ground and against other newsboys.

"Fist fights you start, harmless snowball fights you shy away from?" Spot's voice questioned with a hint of laughter. As Relic snapped her head up to find him in the snow, the distribution bell rang and the snow settled as the newsies trekked up the docks.

Relic was carried up the docks without much of her own decisive step as she shook the snow out of her hair and discreetly searched for Conlon's familiar gray cap. The familiar heavy arm of Ruin draped itself over Relic's shoulders.

"Sell near the Heights?" Ruin asked jovially. His hat had a thin layer of snow and his cheeks were bright red but even his eyes were twinkling with a smile.

"Um, actually..." Relic licked her lips nervously as she caught sight of Spot, near the front of the line whispering intensely with Bottle Cap and Bullseye.

"Oh, someone wants to get me a Christmas gift." Ruin laughed. Relic smiled and nodded.

"Maybe that girl Hannah." She responded sarcastically. Ruin playful pouted at the response.

"You aren't mad about the new girl?" Ruin demanded.

"No, just don't understand why you keep wasting your time with a new girl every week." Relic shrugged.

"I think I'm in love this time." Ruin stated seriously.

"You always think you're in love," Relic rolled her eyes.

"You appreciated the warm roll..." Ruin pointed out.

"Yes, yes..." Relic winked at him. "But I'll sell alone today?"

"Stay out of trouble?" Ruin held out his hand to shake on the promise. Relic crinkled her nose in disgust at the hand. Ruin was more about keeping their noses clean since they had settled in Brooklyn and it was starting to get on Relic's nerves.

"Trouble is in the eye of the beholder," Relic laughed as she skipped up to the window and bought her papers. Ruin shook his head but lazily leaned against the wall as he started a conversation with Jinx, a hyper young newsies that was excited to have a new coat.

Relic tucked her stack of papers under her arm as she pushed her hand into her coat pocket. She jogged out onto the main street trying to catch sight of Spot, noticing the golden tip of his cane flash in the distance as the leader turned the corner.

A pair of horses trotted along pulling a festive carriage with bows and garland, Relic smiled at the happy little girl in a furry hat. Relic started jogging again trying to keep up with Spot. She scoffed for never noticing how fast Spot Conlon walked. As she followed Spot, Relic became increasingly curious about everything involving the leader of Brooklyn. It struck her as strange that she had never paid any attention to him, never been filled with curiosity for everything about the boy. But the last few days the strange dark mood, the peculiar disengagement and the distracted harshness that was not only unbecoming but unfamiliar in the body of the most powerful boy in the city had made her curious.

After roaming around in the maze of buildings and bustling streets of Brooklyn, Spot finally stopped somewhere on Fulton street. Relic paused for a moment making sure that Spot had finally settled into a selling spot before she skipped down another block. The maroon coat would have made her more noticeable if the fashionable ladies of the season hadn't taken a fancy to red and golds.

Holiday shoppers were walking along, chatting and enjoying themselves in a way that made Relic almost envious. She sold papers easily enough, understanding immediately why Spot would stand on this street and why the leader was so successfully in his trade.

"He gets the bankers," Laces commented from behind Relic.

"Bankers?" Relic spun around to glare at her friend.

"That's the National City Bank, Chas Young is the president. The capital and surplus is 8 times that of Eighth Ward Bank on 39th where Bullseye often sells." Laces smiled.

"You know where everyone sells?" Relic asked.

"You don't usually sell here." Laces smiled as she grabbed a couple of papers from Relic's arm.

"Yeah, well..." Relic started.

"You sell out near the Heights with Ruin, or sometimes by the laundry district. But you never come over here." Laces winked as she scurried across the street. Relic stared after the misfit in the fancy black coat as she spun around and started spouting an elaborate headline about Christmas cheer and charity. Relic laughed at the absurdity of Laces glee and sensationalism, it was strange that the ghost like creature wasn't a newsie.

It was seconds before Laces had sold through her three papers and she outstretched her hands like a toddler begging for sweets. Relic waited for another carriage to cross her path before running across the street and passing Laces the rest of her papers. Handing off her only responsibility to the excited Laces left Relic free to fixate all her attention on Spot Conlon.

Spot noticed the intense green eyes starring at him from afar and not only because Laces had informed him of his audience blocks before but because he could feel her eyes blaze into him. As he took money from a agitated shopper and handed them a paper he stole a glance down the block.

The long coat hugged her figure nicely, amplifying her slender waist as her hands rested on her hips inside the pockets. He was happy to see her wearing a real coat that would actually keep her safe from the city's bitter cold. As he scanned his paper for another headline to hawk, he kept glancing up at the evergreen eyes that were watching his every movement. Spot had commanded Laces discover the reason for Relic's need to follow him. He didn't have time to worry about the girl following him, nor did he care to have anything distract him from his mood.

The holidays meant stress on the legendary leader of Brooklyn. The snow meant it was colder, a breeding ground for diseases, moods and restless trouble. The lack of resources to the newsies usually meant at least two of the boys got sick and sometimes some of them died, for reasons outside of Spot's control. The bitter cold put everyone into a bad mood, customers and newsboys alike disliked results of snow on clothing. And as if that wasn't enough, the cold meant that the boys spent more money on cigarettes. The cheapest way to stay warm but still an expense that was beyond the necessities, resulting in troubles. Finally, the snow often left the boys locked indoors when they weren't selling, and on occasion even when they were selling, which caused cabin fever leading him to lose boys to the newly constructed Disciplinary Training School for Boys. All in all the winter months were nothing but headaches for Spot.

Spot sold another paper and glanced down to make sure that Relic and Laces were still standing on the nearby corner. He looked up to the rooftops and caught sight of three fingers and a few whistles in the distance. Spot strolled down to the opposite corner and stared down to catch sight of Bottle Cap standing comfortably caressing a lovely looking girl. Spot smiled at the sight, proud of his boy for his charming skills.

No one understood just how many people that Spot's strong arm protected and his eyes tentatively watched. No one that is except for a handful of people that could be counted on one hand, one of them the shaggy haired man that jumped out from a tenant building.

"Don't you have things to do?" Spot demanded grumpily as the tall shadow cast over him.

"Finished up all my gift getting, would like to do some ice skating. You know that Manhattan ain't got a solid pond yet?"Critter O'Connell laughed.

"And you're telling me this because you know that Jack and some of his boys are heading out here to ice skate?" Spot asked impatiently.

"No but that's likely isn't it?" Critter nodded thoughtful. The two men strolled past Bottle Cap as he was stealing a kiss from the girl he had been charming only moments before. Critter snapped his fingers at the boy, reprimanding the young man's lack of manners to be kissing a girl on the street. Even though they were street kids, Brooklyn had a sense of propriety to it that didn't escape their rebellious citizens. Cap stepped back from the girl he had been kissing, a fair skinned beauty with blond hair. Bottle Cap pressed an ink stained finger up to the girl's lips and winked to ask for her silence.

Spot ignored the transaction but Critter kept his eyes steady on the situation, glaring at Cap to mind his manners around the young lady.

"So you just decided to join me on a jaunt through Brooklyn then?" Spot spat annoyed.

"I don't like Laces being friends with that girl newsie that you let stay in the lodging house. For that matter, I still don't approve that girl staying in the lodging house at all." Critter criticized.

"And I don't actually have to listen to you at all," Spot retorted back. Critter jabbed at the boy with his elbow angrily but didn't pursue the subject anymore.

"Quill was picked up by one of the people of the Disciplinary Training School just about twenty minutes ago, I thought you might want my help in getting him out but if you don't..." Critter started to walk up a set of steps up into a different building, but Spot pulled him back immediately.

"Why can't they just stay out of trouble?" Spot grumbled.

Back on Fulton Street, Relic had bent down to tie her shoe for only seconds but that's all it took to lose sight of the mighty Spot.

"He's long gone by now," Laces popped her teeth together as she started chewing on a piece of candy.

"But to where?" Relic asked.

"The question is never to where but to what," Laces shrugged holding out a fist full of coins and another piece of candy.

"What did you mean about his mood?" Relic asked quickly worrying that Laces would disappear.

"That its dangerous and short tempered." Laces frowned.

"But why?" Relic insisted.

"What are you going to get Ruin?" Laces skipped down onto the road, dancing along next to the stationary sleigh.

"Get Ruin?" Relic frowned confused again.

"Might I suggest some ice skates?" Laces clapped excitedly.

"Ice skating..." Relic thought about the articles in the paper from the day. The ponds in Brooklyn were prime for skating but Manhattan's were still too thin.

"Jack will be here later." Relic nodded sure of her statement. Laces jumped up into the empty sleigh and stared down at her friend with her head tilted to one side.

"Yes, but... how did you know that?" Laces squinted her eyes up at the rooftops of the buildings around them. Relic studied the curious behavior and caught her own gaze glancing up and searching the unfamiliar rooftops. She noticed a strange slip of a hand, a dainty female hand.

"The paper, said something about the ponds. We all like to skate." Relic stated slowly, still watching the now empty rooftops.

"Right, well if we're going to skate than we should find that gift for Ruin." Laces pushed Relic down the street and into the nearest store.


	4. Yet In Thy Dark Streets Shineth

**Yet in Thy Dark Streets Shineth **

Steamer Pond was completely frozen over and brimming into the snow banks with skaters near the south entrance of Prospect Park. The selling day had been cut short as to accommodate the visiting boys of Manhattan.

A couple of skate blades were shared among the group of newsies, as some took turns around the lake others sat and smoked, talking about the season or the day's headlines. Relic was holding on to dear life as Ruin skated her around the lake. The idea of skating over frozen water terrified Relic, as she had never learned how to swim. But she hated showing fear more than anything and Chuckles had evilly challenged her to ice skate. Ruin speed up to take a turn and Relic wanted to scream but her eyes caught the sight of Spot Conlon, arriving alone and very late to the winter festivities.

"There you are Conlon! I thought you would come up with some reason why you couldn't come," Jack slapped his friend on the back in a warm greeting.

"Had some business to take care of Kelly, don't get to be the one that saves your bum from scrapes without accomplishing things." Spot spat into his hand and held it out.

"The business of beating up some poor kid with a big mouth?" Jack spit in his own hand and shook.

"That would be you," Spot shrugged as he surveyed the pond, and took a mental inventory of who was present.

"I'd love to see you try Conlon," Jack grumbled seriously. Jack Kelly and Spot Conlon had been friends for ever in the eyes of any newsie in New York, though no one could tell you how they met or when they became friends. Importantly strange was how the pride of being Brooklyn and Manhattan respectively got in the way of their friendship more often than not.

"How'd the headline treat you?' Spot was asking as Relic skated past him being sped down the ice by Ruin still.

"Well enough, you coming to Joe's Christmas gathering this year?" Jack asked brightly.

"Free food and drinks, probably." Spot shrugged.

"Always about the Christmas spirit you are," Jack laughed.

"Christmas Spirit..." Spot grumbled trailing into his own thoughts as Relic came flying into a pile of snow. Mush and Racetrack laughingly offered their aid to the now drenched girl, lifting her from the indent she had made into the snow carefully enough not to drop her. Ruin came skating back, trying to keep a serious face on while apologizing the his best friend for his careless behavior.

"You should have been holding on tighter," Ruin sighed finally.

"You sh-sh-shouldn't have been r-r-racing around the p-p-pond." Relic's teeth chattered at every other word as Mush shook the pieces of ice out of her hair.

"At least you didn't fall into the water," Chuckles taunted.

"I'll hold you up while you kick up your feet and Race can get the skates off?" Mush asked as he held out his arms to catch a falling Relic if necessary.

"Wh-wh-what if I'm not d-d-done skating?" Relic chattered.

"You don't skate well," Race frowned at her. "And you don't seem to like it..."

"Yeah well," Relic surrendered throwing up her right foot for Race. The Italian roughly and with little ceremony untied the ice blades from Relic's boots. Minutes later Race was out on the ice and Mush was eagerly tying on another pair of blades that Bottle Cap had given up.

Ruin whizzed past waving at his friends with a goofy grin on his face. Relic rolled her eyes and a shiver of the cold hit her terribly. She clutched her coat tightly around her neck and glanced around to see if there was reason for her to stay. Ruin was still skating about like a fish in the water and Laces had long since disappeared. A snow flake fell upon Relic's nose and the decision of leaving was made easier.

Without the politeness of others, Relic spun around and started trudging up and away from the frozen pond without a word to anyone. She would glance back over her shoulder often enough, catching glimpses of Spot still talking to Jack. He never moved, not once as she walked away and his blue eyes seemed lost in deep and ancient thoughts.

In the eight months that Relic had been in Brooklyn, she had made strange connections to the bunch of newsboys. She had come into the lodging house with a best friend and an acquaintance in an unlikely and unknown to her bird. Once established the girl had basically rejected all the Brooklyn boys on principle that they reminded her of the orphanage gang. But come Spring time, some oft he charm of Brooklyn had finally worked its magic on her stubborn nature. Now, Relic would consider the the carefree Bullseye with the easy going nature and straight shot punch a friend. She also enjoyed the silent but warm company of Bottle Cap, the young shadow of Spot Conlon. On occasion, Relic even didn't mind the hot tempered Chuckles and the graceless Irish Harris. Generally though Relic spent her time alone, especially when Ruin was seeing a new girl as Laces was far and few regular visits though Relic had a sneaking suspicion that the girl was always around.

The snow was falling more freely as Relic stepped onto a dark street of the city of Brooklyn. She pressed her own chin into her neck and chest, trying to keep the snow from falling into her face to harshly. As her hazel eyes were cast downward, a sparkle caught her eye in the distance.

She quicken her step to reach the gleam quicker and bent down to examine the source of the light. Before her hands could wipe away the snow from the corner of the gleaming paper, a voice startled Relic into a standing position again.

"That is a fancy coat for a fighting street urchin like you," A cold familiar voice commented from behind Relic. Goosebumps traveled down both of Relic's arms, as a fear that she had all but forgotten burned deep within her soul. She closed her eyes, hoping with all her might that the voice just sounded familiar and wasn't actually familiar as she turned around.

But as she resisted with slowness to pushed her eye lids up, she knew from her the moment her right eye caught he blurred outline that the voice did belong to an old ghost. Ben, the only leader that Relic or Ruin had ever known with the Gin street gang stood underneath a flickering street lamp with two Gins. Ben, the reason that Relic still jumped and threw punches anytime anyone touched her. Ben a living nightmare that Relic couldn't even managed to escape her hours of wake, or in the time of slumber.

"Ben." Relic nodded curtly, standing completely still as if her feet were planted into the sidewalk.

"Relic, look at you." Ben licked his lips menacingly as he started walking around the girl, a predator circling his prey. The other two nameless, faceless Gin's prowled behind their leader, adding muscle to the threat that Ben left hanging in the winter chill.

"You look good." Relic spat quietly, a whisper of hope. She was trying to remember how to fight, how to really fight like before Brooklyn or even before Harlem. The fight that was more instinct and survival than strategy and games. She knew that the Brooklyn boys knew how to fight both ways, she had witnessed the strength and devastation that Spot and Bullseye could act out. But it was different for her in Brooklyn, she wasn't expected to fight and more importantly she was deterred from truly fighting with anyone. The streets of Brooklyn were not life or death for any of Spot's boys, but they were even less so for any of the girls that happened to be lucky enough to be protected by his gold tipped cane and handy slingshot.

"You left without saying good bye," Ben commented, still circling.

"You didn't really leave me much of a choice," Relic stated angrily. The blood was rising to her cheeks, the anger finally hitting her at seeing Ben at the power he managed over her. She still couldn't move her legs but her wit was coming back to her.

"You always had a choice doll," Ben nodded finally stopping right in front of her. His arms were hidden beneath a coat, but Relic knew that his fists were clenched probably with metal knuckles ready for the never-ending fight of his life.

"Maybe someone should teach you the meaning of the word choice." Relic spat, she started pulsing her own hand into fists even though she knew her odds were anything but great. The last time that Relic had come up against Ben's metal knuckles she had passed out for two days, and then she had been fighting with Ruin. But maybe there would be some kind of Christmas miracle.

"Maybe someone should teach you some respect," Ben practically jumped to stand at the end of Relic's nose.

"Try," Relic growled shooting out her fist with all the instincts of her past right into Ben's gut. The shadows descended fast as Ben took a gasping step back his boys were kicking and punching at Relic from left and right. Relic defensively threw her arms up and covered her head, pushing her elbows together and pressing her palms against her ears. Ben's fist was coming up underneath Relic's elbows, a precision in his aim that had developed over years of fighting. But the fist stopped short of her chin and was yanked back.

"Who taught you how to fight?" Screeched an frustrated Laces. Laces had jumped up onto Ben's back and was trying to kick while pulling his hands back. Relic refused to move from her protected cocoon stance though, as the two other Gins only distracted for seconds before starting in on their beating of her again.

Ben bucked a bit before successfully sending Laces onto the snow covered sidewalk. Ben stood looking over at Relic, clearly losing her fight with his two thugs and the fancy coated girl on the ground that had attacked him out of no where. It took Ben a matter of two glances at each girl to calculate that Relic would still be waiting and that Laces was more of a fight and thus the boy choose challenge over ease.

As Ben turned his back on Relic, she started to falter and was sinking to the ground as she could feel bruises forming on her ribs. Laces quickly jumped to her feet and hand her fists ready to receive hits from Ben.

"Get up!" Laces screamed at Relic. Ben slammed his metal fist into Laces cheek with such force that Laces spit out blood before she knocked her fist into Ben's chin causing him to bite down on his own tongue.

Relic was sure she was doomed and it was only a matter of moments before Ben surely overpowered Laces. She started to drop her arms in time to see the blurred movement of a black cane slam into the knees of one of her attackers without mercy in force. Another set of arms lifted Relic from the ground.

"Stay standing up and fight like your from Brooklyn, would you?" Pockets urged her as he turned to fight with one of her attackers. Fight like she was from Brooklyn, but Relic wasn't from Brooklyn or was she?

Relic watched Spot Conlon, the essence of power and uncontested strength in Brooklyn and possibly all New York, beat a Gin to the ground for what? Was he fighting because they had attacked her? Or was he fighting because these unknown boys had the guts to come pick a fight in his territory? Or even stranger was Spot fighting because Laces, a friend, had joined in the brawl? Whatever the reason, Relic was suddenly overcome with her need to protect her friends.

She started running straight at Ben, with her head bent down and her shoulders tight around her neck. Laces cheek was starting to swell and she was blinking out tears from the fourth time Ben smacked her with his knuckles near the eye. She did noticed the roaring Relic and moved carefully to the left as Relic hurtled herself into Ben. The fight was a series of lost memories and blurred action after that moment. Another pair of strong fists had joined the fight, and soon Ben was the one on the ground with Spot's cane pressed into his neck. While the two thugs were being held tightly, Laces stood above Relic who was heaving and trying to catch her breathe.

"Look here, I don't know who you are. But you know who I am, and this is my street." Spot kicked at Ben.

"You don't own it Conlon," Ben gasped.

"My cane disagrees. If I ever see your ugly mug on any of the streets of Brooklyn again I will probably will beat you within seconds of your miserable life. Understood?" Spot bent down to make sure that Ben could see the cold unforgiving glare of his blue eyes.

"Yeah, understood." Ben responded without looking at Spot.

"And stay away from Relic, if you know what's good for you." Spot added for good measure. Relic took Laces hand to help her up carefully. The two thugs started running before their beaten leader could crawl to his knees after them.

Relic turned to watch Ben limp away and Spot stand triumphantly staring at his win.

"You two, over here now." A stern voice commanded from a distance. Relic jumped around to find the source of the voice but found nothing, no one else but Spot stood with her.

"Relic!" Ruin was sprinting up looking frightened. But Relic ignored him as she was still looking for Laces and Pockets, and the third mysterious fighter.

"You'll see her to the lodging house then?" Spot asked as Ruin reached them.

"Where are you going?" Relic demanded suddenly. Spot frowned at her surprised by her demands of him.

"I have things to take care of." He shrugged.

"Yeah, of course I will walk her back." Ruin nodded, throwing his arm around Relic's shoulders.

"Stay under street lamps. Don't take any of the back allies, you hear?" Spot tipped his hat down and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Do you think Ben will come back?" Relic asked fearful of Spot and Ruin.

"Not if he has any brains to him at all." Spot stated darkly.

"Come on," Ruin pushed Relic forward as Spot turned to walk down one of the dark allies he had advised them against. Relic watched interested in the peculiar events of the afternoon. She remembered what had made her stop in this spot to being with and ran out from Ruin's arm to the glistening paper under the snow.

"What are you doing?" Ruin demanded running up to her. Relic grabbed the paper, a wet Christmas card forgotten by its sender or receiver long ago. A crisp picture of two little blond girls sitting in a colorful bed as Old Saint Nick looked over them was the backdrop for the Merry Christmas wishes.

"A Christmas Card," Relic stated loudly as she looked back down the dark alley that had consumed Spot.

"Yes, it's Christmas time which explains the snow. Can we go?" Ruin demanded.

"Yes..." Relic responded slowly, slipping the abandoned card into her coat pocket and letting Ruin lead her back the lodging house.

Up a fire escape and in an decrepit utility closet of a tenant building near where the fight had just broken out were the phantasm fighters. Laces and Pockets sat on the ground their heads hanging in shame as Critter paced around the room lecturing his birds on the utmost importance of remaining a secret.

"You are not suppose to get involved, Laces. Stepping in like that was foolish and dangerous for you, you know that you're suppose to advise someone..." Critter voice was more anger than disappointment, but it would soon transition into a parental disappointment that would have Laces apologizing before the lecture was through.

"And you," Critter flicked his finger at Pocket's ear. "Encouraging her behavior like you do, joining in like it was your fight."

"You joined in too," Spot commented as he stepped into the room from outside.

"You! I don't understand why you let the girl run around by herself to begin with!" Critter crossed his arms and glared at Spot.

"She isn't a child or a thing that needs protection all the time. She knows how to use her fists, and there are always people watching. Aren't there?" Spot crossed his arms and challenged Critter back.

"Yes but they are not suppose to get involved. They KNOW that." Critter shot Laces a dirty look.

"She followed the rules, she sent out word before she got involved." Spot shrugged.

"You're defending Laces?" Pockets asked surprised.

"She did wrong, getting into the fight like that. How's your cheek doing?" Spot asked with a smile on his face.

"See, getting into the fight!" Critter clapped happy someone was agreeing with him again.

"I appreciate their help and yours. So go easy on them?" Spot winked at Laces and Pockets before he ducked back out the window.

"Just because Conlon feels the need to have Christmas forgiveness does not mean that I do," Critter shook his head. Spot laughed at the empty threat, he knew that Critter would go easier on his birds because he had requested it. After all, the Brooklyn birds existed for the use of Spot Conlon and the protection of Brooklyn so it was only fair that Spot had some power over their inter-workings.


	5. The Hopes and Fears of All the Years

**The Hopes and Fears of all the years**

The Brooklyn house was full of Christmas cheer that evening after the afternoon of ice skating. The old caretaker of the boys had boiled up some hot cider to help the chill of the now continuous snowfall. When Relic and Ruin finally walked through the door they were greeted by a slightly off-key rendition of "We Three Kings."

Some of the boys had added a dash of whiskey to their cider's as the parlor smelled of wet clothing, apples and whiskey. Bullseye strolled over to the duo and handed them two steaming cups of cider with a grin plastered to his face. It wasn't until the second in command was close enough to feel Relic breathing on his arm that he noticed the flecks of blood and the disheveled looked of the only girl the have ever lived in the lodging house.

"What happened?" Bullseye asked seriously loosing his grin and nodding at Ruin to help Relic out of her jacket. Ruin tapped on her shoulders and had her shrug out of the jacket while Bullseye started examining the bruises that were rapidly forming on her arms.

"Look I'm fine," Relic snapped pulling her arm away from Bullseye. Bullseye though kept his grip on her arm and set his face in a grim stare.

"None of our boys would have left this much evidence..." He commented seriously. Bottle Cap had noticed the serious tone that had overtaken the newly arrived group and stepped over to see what the commotion was about.

"A fight..." Cap nodded stepping out the front door without an explanation.

"It wasn't with any of your boys." Relic shook her head, pulling at her own arm still trying to get Bullseye to let go.

"How did they even get this many bruises on you? You know how to fight better than that... they shouldn't have been able to get you in the arms that much." Bullseye sighed.

Cap walked back in with a shiver but nodded at Bullseye.

"It seems she was in a fight with some of the Gins, a gang from out near Harlem. The gits that are always out for blood." Cap took Relic's arm from Bullseye.

"How do you know that? Where did you go?" Relic demanded of Cap. But the young man bent over her arm, his tousled hair dripping with the melting snow.

"Spot didn't get hurt?" Bullseye asked.

"No, but he went on his merry way down an alley without explaining himself." Relic grumbled. Bullseye and Bottle Cap laughed at the statement as Cap finally released Relic's arm and glared at Ruin.

"And where were you?" Cap demanded.

"She walked off without telling no one she was leaving." Ruin snapped defensively.

"I can take care of myself," Relic gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"She can." Ruin agreed though Relic could detect the tentative tone in his response.

"Yeah, well have some cider then." Bullseye stared out the window resigned.

"We don't to have left over cheer when Conlon gets back," Cap whispered as he ducked back into the parlor.

Relic started walking into the parlor but Ruin pulled her back by the ends of her hair. Relic spun around her fists up at her chin, defensively she glowered at the boy.

"You ok?" Ruin whispered. Relic stared at him, his face was full of concern and a shadow of fear.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine stop being such a mother." Relic smiled at him.

"What were you doing walking off by yourself like that anyway?" Ruin reproached her.

"Look, I walk around Brooklyn by myself all the time. Don't you start with this because you're a girl nonsense." Relic pushed her finger into Ruin's chest.

"Look I know you can take care of yourself, but with Ben..." Ruin trailed off without finishing his sentence.

"He ain't never come around looking for me," Relic shook her head.

"Until tonight..." Ruin pressed.

"That was just an accident. He was just hanging around in Brooklyn." Relic shook her head and spun back around to find herself a cup of cinder.

"And he won't come back if Spot was in the fight." Cap commented from his stool near the couch where he sat playing a game of marbles with some of the younger boys.

"Nothing to worry about Ruin." Relic laughed away the worries.

"There is always something to worry about when you're involved Relic." Ruin muttered but dropped the subject. Relic pranced over to sit near Bullseye, who was sitting reading the evening edition of _The Journal. _

"Does the lodging house ever celebrate Christmas?" Relic asked Bullseye as she sat down. Bullseye didn't look up from his paper as he responded.

"Joe and Will throw us a party, they've gotten better since the strike. The parties have got all the trimmings, trees and cakes and sometimes even gifts."

"But what about the lodging house?" Relic as she inhaled the hot steam rising from her mug.

"Years ago, we use to put up a Christmas tree. Sometimes we would put up stockings, when we knew the sisters were coming around to bring us candy and charity gifts." Bullseye shrugged.

"Before Spot came to Brooklyn?" Relic asked curiously.

"Spot's from Brooklyn." Bullseye responded automatically.

"Yes, but he hasn't always been the leader of Brooklyn boys?" Relic pressed.

"No," Bullseye looked up now and stared at the girl. "And I suppose, maybe we did stop doing Christmas when Spot came around... what you getting at?"

"It just doesn't seem as if Spot likes Christmas much." Relic shrugged.

"Christmas don't mean much to street kids. Aside from having a day off and a good hot meal, what is there for us to look forward to?" Bullseye smiled sadly at her.

"Ain't you eve have a good Christmas?" Relic asked.

"Maybe, but I can't remember anything but this." Bullseye shrugged. A group of boys started merrily singing and dancing to yet another Christmas Carol that distracted Relic and Bullseye from further discussion.

The night worn on with merry singing and happy consumption of the warm cider that seemed endless. Until the moment that Bullseye glanced at his pocket watch and clapped his hands together to gain attention from everyone.

"All right lads, off to bed then." Bullseye commanded. Relic studied the room and noticed that Spot had yet to arrive, so she remained seated while Bullseye and Bottle Cap emptied out the parlor.

"Relic?" Bullseye prompted as he picked up one of the many empty mugs.

"Why doesn't Spot come home for curfew?" Relic asked.

"Because he's Spot, he came up with the curfew." Bullseye rolled his eyes.

"He did?" Relic asked doubtful.

"Well, he enforces it. But sometimes he has things to do, so being the leader and all he has privileges." Bullseye frowned at her. "Bed, then?"

"I'm going to wait for Spot," Relic crossed her arms and remained seated.

"Well I don't think that is a good idea at all..." Bullseye sighed. "But I don't care enough to bother with you, it's your own hide."

Bullseye deposited the empty mugs in the kitchen, gave one last glance at Relic in the parlor and then jogged up the stairs. Relic turned down the lights and lit a candle as she settled down at one of the now vacate couches.

She curled under the lone wool blanket on the couch and pulled up one of the abandoned books on the floor and started to read. Less than ten pages into the book, Relic had fallen fast asleep being more exhausted than she realized.

As the darkness of the midnight hour descended upon the city and relentless snowfall had finally ceased, Spot Conlon pushed open the door of his lodging house. He shook his shoulders and let the snow flakes fall to the wood boards beneath him. Once he shut the door behind him he noticed the odd flickering light from the parlor and turned to find its source.

The flickering light of a slowly melting candle shone upon the sleeping figure of Relic. Her light brown hair was in disarray around her shoulders and the blanket was pulled up over her nose with the book resting on her chest. Spot sighed at the sight, slightly aggravated to see the troublesome girl out of bed. He walked into the parlor and blew out the candle and cautiously slipped a tin over the light to make sure it didn't burn down the lodging house.

He stood over Relic for a moment debating his options. He could leave her to sleep on the couch. But the result would be a morning fight that would definitely result in some kind of bloodshed. He could wake her, but he suspected that she might punch him out of instinct and then he would want to punch her back. The last option would be carefully carrying her up the stairs to her bunk himself. He thought about making Ruin or Bullseye come down and pick up the girl, the only trouble with that option was working on waking up one of those boys.

"What you're even doing down here," Spot grumbled as he scooted his arms around her back. He had her lifted into his arms and was taking the first step up to the bunk room when Relic stirred awake.

"Spot?" She murmured half asleep.

"Sh, go back to sleep." Spot said quietly. Relic struggled ever so slightly in Spot's arms but he kept a firm grasp on her.

"I was waiting for you," Relic finally surrendered as Spot continued his escalation.

"What were you doing that for?" Spot snapped impatiently at her.

"You got into a fight for me today," Relic yawned.

"Well yeah," Spot responded confused.

"Just wanted to talk." Relic whispered.

"Why?" Spot demanded yet again in a harsh whisper.

"Just forget it," Relic snapped grumpily back as Spot creaked over the loose floorboard in the middle of the bunk room. Spot stopped momentarily in the middle of the room, surrounding by snoring and muttering of the sleeping newsboys.

"I can walk the rest of the way to my bed, if you don't want to carry me. I'm awake now." Relic wiggled out of Spot's arms and stepped her feet down onto the ground. Spot stood and watched the girl trudge over to her bunk and slip in-between the sheet curtains.

He watched her in the fading moonlight disappear. He lifted his left hand and rubbed the back of his neck and yawned, he rarely had to deal with anyone when he came home even less likely that he had to deal with Relic. He tapped at his own hip for seconds, closing his eyes and imaging his own comfortable bed.

Taking a deep breath, Spot walked straight to the curtained bunk and pulled open the sheets to reveal the dark cave of Relic's little sanctuary.

"What the devil is wrong with you?" Relic screeched in an angry whisper. Spot held the curtain open but did politely look away from the undressing girl.

"Tell you what, if you can stay out of a fight an entire morning. You can come sell the afternoon edition with me?" Spot whispered.

"Why not the morning edition?" Relic asked.

"Because I didn't offer the morning edition, besides part of the deal is a fight free morning." Spot shrugged his shoulders.

"What if someone hits me first?" Relic asked tentatively.

"No deal." Spot said sternly. Relic could almost see the way his face would be set into a suspicious frown.

"You'll answer all my questions?" Relic asked excitedly.

"Probably not." Spot turned around. "Is that why you want to talk to me, you have questions?"

"Well sort of," Relic sighed.

"I have a few questions about this Gin that was after you today, so maybe we'll come up with another exchange." Spot winked at her, though she didn't notice in the darkness as he turned his face back to her.

"Spit on it?" Spot held out his hand to the girl and Relic shot out her own hand immediately. The two shook on it and as soon as both hands had swung downward, the curtains had closed again and Spot was gone.

Relic didn't even bother to work her way out of all her skirts before she was completely asleep again. The rest of the night in the lodging house was quiet with not one newsboy stirring, not even Spot. As the boys dreamed of warmer times and delicious treats. The morning came too soon, as Ruin shook Relic awake.

"Relic, you're last again..." Ruin begged her to wake.

Relic shot out her fist, but Ruin use to her morning self clutched his hand around her wrist.

"Samantha Kates," Ruin whispered still holding her clenched fist.

"What you doing using that name!" Relic shoved Ruin before she jumped out of bed looking furious.

"Getting you out of bed, come on with the snow its going to take us longer to get to our selling spot." Ruin complained.

"Don't you go throwing around that name whenever you feel like it." Relic waved her fist at Ruin threatening her friend.

"Why'd you stay in the parlor last night?" Ruin questioned popping his cap onto his head.

"Parlor," Relic yawned remembering a dream conversation with Spot. She dropped her fists and wandered into the washroom without another word.

"She's being weird." Ruin stared after her as he sat on the edge of her bunk.

The December morning was not unlike the other mornings of the winter. The snow fall had ceased and the morning papers were being circulated at almost summer speeds. The streets of Brooklyn were crowded with shoppers and families enjoying the winter wonderland that they could easily escape in their warm mansions.

Relic and Ruin sold their papers fast enough up near the Heights. Ruin was full of cheer and merriment with the idea that he might have sold enough for the day to take the afternoon off and just sell a couple of evening posts. Relic was highly distracted and couldn't even manage to carry on a conversation with her friend.

As the sun crept slowly into the highest point in the sky, Relic sold her last paper to a mother walking her child around the block. Across the street Pockets Harper stood with his golden hair sticking out from underneath a new bowler hat.

"So you going to go see your girl?" Relic asked cheerfully.

"Well yeah, but I don't know if I should leave you alone. Want to come?" Ruin asked.

"I won't be alone," Relic pointed to across the street. Pockets was making a spectacle of himself as he danced around with a little girl.

"Ah, where's Laces?" Ruin asked curiously studying Pockets. Ruin recognized the fellow across the street as a boy that hung around Laces, picked pockets and always seemed to know things. But Pockets didn't often come out during the day without Laces, and even rarer was he alone in plain slight.

"I don't know. But I will see you tonight, maybe I will sell the evening edition." Relic winked as she ran across the street barely missing being hit by a carriage.

"Be careful," Ruin shouted after her. He shook his head and walked away.

Pockets gave Relic a wide smile as he bowed to the little girl gracefully. Relic clapped along with the rest of his audience before he held out his arm for her.

"Are you here to take me to Spot?" Relic asked.

"Observant little thing aren't you?" Pockets laughed.

"New hat?" Relic asked.

"From the same place as that ugly coat I got Laces..." Pockets popped his lips.

"The hat doesn't become you either." Relic shrugged.

"Delightful to be in your company Relic, just delightful." Pockets rolled his eyes.

"Just stating facts is all." Relic sighed. The two walked along in silence for a few blocks.

"Are we going to Fulton Street then?" Relic asked. Pockets shook his head.

"He's not there today."

Relic waited patiently for Pockets to explain further but she was meet with nothing but silence.

"You were in the fight yesterday." Relic stated suddenly.

"The fight you had with the Gins? I think you're mistaken, I was not in that fight." Pockets frowned but didn't look at her.

"You were there, with Laces. Where is Laces?" Relic finally asked.

"Around." Pockets smiled as he finally stopped walking, jerking her back to the corner of Henry Street, near Poplar Street.

Spot Conlon sat on the edge of the sidewalk with his cigarette sitting in his mouth and his eyes cast down. Pockets let out a low and soft whistle, a little bit of a Christmas tune that had Spot snapping up his eyes instantly. He had his mouth in a strange tight line before he outstretched a hand and motioned for Relic to come forward.

"On with you then, and don't make him mad." Pockets whispered to her.

* * *

_Thanks for all the feedback friends, glad you're liking it. _


	6. Are Met In Thee Tonight

**Are Met In Thee Tonight **

The afternoon sun was peaking out and the snow had stop falling abruptly. Spot Conlon held a stack of 25 afternoon papers that Relic hadn't noticed when she first walked towards him. She held none, as she hadn't stopped to get any new edition papers when she had left the Heights with Pockets.

"Predictable." Spot shook his head and handed over half his papers. Relic shrugged smiling apologetically before taking the papers from the leader. There was silence as Relic pursued the headlines of the afternoon edition, Spot patiently finished off the rest of his cigarette.

"So why were you waiting for me last night?" Spot asked as he threw the bud of his cigarette underneath a passing carriage.

"I wanted to say thanks," Relic muttered under her breath as she started to pace away.

"Say thanks for what?" Spot demanded not moving from his spot on the corner.

"Helping with Ben and everything…" Relic still mumbled, finding the experience of thanking someone to be humbling. Spot didn't respond to the gratitude though and at first Relic worried that he hadn't heard her. As she reached the opposite corner from him, she turned to stare at the young man standing tall at the other corner. He had one paper rolled up in his hand and the other hand was clutching the few papers he had to sell. The tiny crease at the edge of his eyes made it clear to Relic that he had heard her though, the creases were those of slight confusion and somewhat abashment that for some reason the girl recognized.

But the silence was still hanging in the air, so Relic to break from the strange tension turned to shout a headline from page 7. Spot shouted a headline soon after and the two sold about three papers before Relic snuck another glance down the street. Spot was staring back at her with his intense blue eyes.

"Why were you ever with him?" Spot asked, softly as if he was standing right next to hear and not a complete block away. But Relic heard him, or rather read the movement of his lips and understood his question.

It was Relic's turn to pretend to that she hadn't heard the words uttered though. It was her turn to be confused and slightly disoriented by the turn in conversation. Neither Spot nor Relic was use to being disarmed in conversation, both were either menacing or charming and never had to think twice about their responses. Or in the case of Relic, she never really thought twice about her responses because she didn't feel the need to.

Spot shouted another headline, respecting Relic's need for the silence but never doubting that he would receive his answer. Relic nervously twitched as she sold another paper to a young ferryboat operator. At the rate of their awkward silences, the two newsies would be done selling in a matter of minutes.

"I was in love with him," Relic responded before thinking fully about her answer. It wasn't something she thought she wanted to share, or had ever imagined she would share with someone such as Spot. But there she was blurting out the reality of a past she never thought about by choice. She hated the answer as soon as it came alive with her voice. Love was a sign of weakness, especially in Relic's case with Ben the Gin. Relic's cheeks burned with embarrassment and she couldn't even begin to look back at Spot.

"He'd hit you." Spot stated without asking. Relic found that with the confirmed tone of his voice there was no need to response and thus she sold another paper.

"Laces was in the fight yesterday. I haven't seen her today, is she well?" Relic asked desiring to change the subject.

"She's fine." Spot nodded without looking at Relic flipping a new bright penny up into the air.

The two finished selling their papers in record time as the two sold their last paper simultaneously. Spot decisively walked up the block and nodded at Relic.

"How about I buy you a hot lunch for your help and we call it even?" He asked holding out his hand for the pennies they had collected. Relic nodded as the offer was more than fair and certainly fairer than she was use to with any newsboy. She dumped the coins into his outstretched hand and in a quick movement Spot had the money in his pocket and was briskly walking up the street.

Relic jumped a bit to keep up with his pace but managed all right despite her skirts. She was struggling with how to broach her next desired topic of conversation. But when the two passed by a large window displaying a gorgeous pine tree with bright red ribbons and flickering candles, Relic made a decision.

"Yesterday, I found a Christmas card." She started. Spot's eyebrow shot up, curiously wondering where this story might be leading.

"It had two pale haired children, children that looked like maybe they would be related to you." Relic elaborated. "Two little girls in night gowns were under this massive quilt. The kind of quilt that someone's grams made when she came from the old country."

Spot's face was showing a bit of amusement but he still didn't speak, he let her finish her story.

"The girls they had curls in their hair and rosy cheeks. They looked real excited like right? And then there was Santa Claus standing right over their bed. He was wearing a red suit with some kind of white trim. He had a bear, like on the cover of that popular children's picture book. Anyway, he's standing over them probably ready to give them everything they asked for because these girls they looked good." Relic rambled.

Spot held open a little window door open for the girl to walk through while she was still telling this story. Relic stepped into a small bakery shop where two girls were standing behind the counter wearing white aprons and their hair up in buns.

"Good Afternoon," One girl said politely.

"Oh, Spot." The other said recognizing the boy as he stepped through second.

"Hannah, Annabelle." Spot nodded. "This here is Relic."

The girls both nodded politely at Relic before pointing to an empty little table near the window. They walked to the table and Spot held out the chair for Relic to be seated before he sat himself and before Relic finished her original point.

"Point is I got to thinking. I don't think I remember a Christmas ever looking like it does on the cards. Do you?" She asked.

Spot chuckled softly at the question but ignored it.

"Hannah is Ruin's new girl." He pointed to the petite girl with the straw brown hair. She had a round face that was flushed with heat and her warm brown eyes seemed to dance.

"Yeah, when we walked into a bakery with a girl named Hannah I decided it had to be Ruin's Hannah." Relic rolled her eyes.

"Why? You think there is only one bakery in town with a Hannah working in it?" Spot asked seriously.

"No," Relic frowned and shook her head. "But I just knew it was her."

"But why?" Spot insisted.

"She looks like a girl Ruin would go with." Relic shrugged but she started to question her own intuition. Why did she think this girl was automatically Ruin's Hannah? Was it because Spot had introduced her at all? Or maybe was it because she was just a Hannah in a bakery and Relic had assumed it to be true and now she was trying to play it off?

"And Annabelle is the girl that Cap's been stealing kisses from on the streets." Spot nodded his chin up to the other girl. Relic turned to study the second girl, a fair skinned beauty with golden hair much like the girls on the Christmas card. Relic could easily imagine both girls, Hannah and Annabelle in a bed under a homemade quilt waiting for Santa Clause in a few days. There might even be presents under some elaborate tree for these to bakery girls.

"I didn't think Cap had a girl." Relic responded off-handedly not really paying attention to Spot at all anymore.

"I didn't say he did." Spot sighed and leaned back in his own chair. Relic's attention was snapped back to Spot at his disappointed tone of voice, her hazel eyes forcefully removing from the girls scurrying around the counter.

Hannah brought a plate of broken pieces of bread and set them on the table without a word and ran back to the counter to knead more dough.

"They can sell the broken parts cheaper so sometimes the girls keep bits for me." Spot explained.

"Did you know them before Ruin and Cap?" Relic grabbed a piece of one of the rolls and started munching on it.

"I know everyone in Brooklyn." Spot tapped at the table and Annabelle appeared with a steaming cup of Coffee.

"That's a cent though," She prompted.

"Go on and bring one for Relic too…" Spot nodded at her as he dropped two pennies from the morning onto the tabletop. Annabelle nodded and jumped about for a few minutes before coming back with another cup of coffee.

"Why are you so interested in Christmas?' Spot sipped at his coffee slowly the way that Relic remembered her father drinking his coffee in the mornings, pensively.

"It's Christmas time," Relic stated obviously. She was confused why Spot wasn't interested in Christmas, it being the season and all.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." He shrugged staring at the window, lost to his own thoughts again. Relic stared at him, studied him realizing it was the first time she had ever been alone and this close to the leader of the borough she had been living in. The first time she had meet Spot Conlon, after being directed by Laces to the docks of the East River, he had come up to her nose. A face off of sorts that was as legendary to Spot as Spot was to Brooklyn. That nose-to-nose face off was a way in which the leader tested new comers, tested their fear reflex to him but on some level Relic concluded that Spot must also be reading that person. She wasn't sure how he managed it but there was something she had once read or maybe had heard about the window of a person being through their eyes.

"Do you not like Christmas?" Relic finally asked.

"Did your brother really kill your parents?" Spot countered instantly. Relic's mouth dropped open, the word shock is not even enough to describe the completely dumbfounded look of almost sheer terror that inhabited Relic's pretty face. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, unable to form words to response to such a intimate and personal detail about her own life.

"When I was about five," Spot began, ignoring her astonishment. "The winter of 1888, that was my last Christmas."

Relic just stared at him, how could he just sit there with his stupid gray cap and his hard blue eyes telling her this story after demanding such a personal detail. Relic couldn't even fathom how it was that Spot had even come upon the information about her family, about her past that she had never ever willingly shared. Unless of course, Ruin must have said something! Ruin did spend an awful amount of time with Spot Conlon, but for whatever reason Relic always assumed Ruin hadn't done any talking in that friendship.

The sky outside the bakery was starting to darken quickly, in the winter the night always descended faster upon the city. Spot had finished his afternoon meal of broken pastries and coffee while Relic was frozen in dismay. He stood up now, starring down at Relic letting the tiniest of smiles escape his lips at her stillness.

"I have to get going, don't worry about the question. It doesn't truly matter." He winked though Relic never noticed as he walked out of the bakery. It took for the loud shutting of the door to wake Relic from his waking slumber. Her hazel eyes danced around the bakery searching for Spot, as she attempted to remember her surroundings and her place in the world. Without a word to either surprised looking Hannah or Annabelle, Relic ran out the door.

Once outside she noticed it was now night and the street lamps were just being to burn. She turned her head in either direction looking for the elusive leader that had just left her in his wake but he was already out of sight, gone. Before she even understood her own actions, her body had remembered the rooftops. The mysterious rooftops, where she had seen the hand disappear just the day before when selling with Laces. The rooftops would let her see the city, would let her see down into the shortcuts and secrets of Brooklyn in a way that could allow her to know where Spot Conlon had run off to, so she could give him a piece of her anger.

She jumped up the nearest fire escape and traveled midway up a building before she saw Spot. He was just ahead a few blocks, up and around the corner is where he had gone. She watched him and thought about her options for a moment, she could keep climbing up but the building she had impulsively chosen was higher than its neighboring buildings and she would have to climb all the way back down before she could keep following Spot. Or she could climb down now and run towards where she had seen Spot and if she couldn't still see him, she would just climb a better building. In a split second Relic made up her mind and took off back down the fire escape and up and around the corner.

She reached the exact piece of road where she had Spot Conlon just moments before but he was indeed gone. Gasping for air for a delicate minute, She jumped up to the nearest fire escape of the tenant building that was built identical to the rest of the block. Once she was high above the streets, and the lamps were fully blazing, she caught sight of the gray cap that had caused her madness and then of a familiar red bandana.

Spot Conlon and Jack Kelly were walking into a church, a Catholic church that Relic and Ruin had walked past on several occasions but never once entered. The bells were ringing and Relic could almost smell the incense. She stood and watched as the few entered the sanctuary and when the large doors closed, she climbed down to walk over to the church and waited.

The hour of the mass was silent and cold in the winter night and Relic was ever grateful for the new long coat that Ruin had brought her. She wondered if the reason that the Brooklyn Lodging House so often received gifts from the nuns and Catholic children societies was because Spot Conlon and Jack Kelly were frequent members of their communities.

Relic leaned against the lamppost waiting for the boys to exit the church. When the bells started ringing, people started pouring out of the church doors. The familiar red bandana and gray cap came out practically last and Relic watched as Jack shook hands with Spot in a friendly manner completely unfamiliar to the observer.

Relic didn't make herself known even after Jack Kelly took off towards Manhattan, back across the bridge. She instead decided to follow Spot in the shadows as she was overcome with the kind of curiosity that Irish and Italian mothers warn killed the cat.

First Spot entered a local pub, a small dark place that Relic had never seen before in her life. It was just blocks from the church itself and the girl assumed that the gentlemen of the church must frequent the little establishment quite a bit. Relic did not dare enter the bar in fear that she might be seen, or even worse she might recognize some of the characters inside, as she knew that Gins were bar dwellers. Having already run into Ben once in the last week was enough for Relic to steer clear of all locations, which might have Ben or any of his thugs.

She sat outside for a bit, holding her coat shut as she pushed her hands into each pocket straight into her stomach. Waiting again in the shadows never once thinking about the dangers that might await her outside the bar as much as she thought about the dangers inside. Spot stayed within the place only the length of what Relic guessed was one drink, though she couldn't be sure that was what he was doing. She couldn't remember ever seeing the boy drink a drop of liquor in his life but it was quite possible that he did.

When he came out, Relic was about to run out to him but she hesitated long enough to realize that a figure came out with him. An older boy, a man really, with shaggy brown hair and an air of parental authority that was strange for someone so young. Relic thought that the boy looks familiar with his black vest that reminded her of Racetrack and his long brown coat but she couldn't the memory of him. It seemed that he could have been anywhere in Brooklyn in the last 8 months, really he could have been anywhere in New York in her entire life.

Relic slinked back a block following the two men walk down and into another unfamiliar building. What was it that the leader of Brooklyn did that late at night? Who were these people that were with him? How much business could a imaginary boy king have in a dark city at night?

The night was becoming more night as Relic was convinced she could see the stars, something she hadn't really seen gleam since arriving in a place with a curfew. The silence of the night was also unnerving, strange and familiar to the bustle and hustle of the city during the day. More time passed before Spot exited the new building with yet another different person, this time a girl that was nothing but a dark figure of curves to Relic from afar.

Relic frowned but kept following Spot around for the rest of the night. Unable to help herself and there was a moment when she knew that she was out passed curfew but the thought didn't bother her. She didn't think past the moment she was in, past the current mystery of Spot Conlon after dark. She wanted to get closer, hear the conversations that were happening between sometimes just one person and at other times multiples.

Walking along the East River, near the very docks that Relic first meet Spot himself a girl appeared out of thin air or from behind some well placed crates. The bulk of the fancy coat made Relic absolutely sure that the girl that had joined Spot now was Laces.

Relic tripped on one of the floorboards of the docks as she tried to keep up as Spot and Laces picked up their pace. Suddenly the couple stopped and Relic jumped behind one of the nearby crates. She waited breathing heavily as she listened for the footsteps to restart. Seconds of painful silence hung in the steady cold air before the steps sounded off the wooden boards again.

Relic sat frozen behind the crate, afraid that Spot had noticed her finally following him. She sat there for much longer than she should have as when she stepped out she found herself completely alone.

She walked up and hoped that her memory of the city would serve her well in the dark. She started walking up one of the streets towards the lodging house.

"You won't be allowed back into the lodging house." A voice suddenly appeared and Relic jumped farther into the air than she even thought possible.

"Where have you been? What were you doing with Spot? Why wouldn't they let me back in?" Relic demanded of her friend.

"Past curfew and if Spot finds out that the reason you were this late was because you were spying on him, he might have your head." Laces shook her head in the darkness.

"What am I suppose to do?" Relic demanded as shivered something that could be fear of cold.

"Didn't you think of that before when you realized that you were going to be late?" Laces demanded.

"No, I didn't." Relic frowned. "Where have you been?"

"I have been forbidden to see you, at present time." Laces responded nonchalantly. Relic didn't notice that Laces was leading her away from the Lodging House. Laces was softly leading Relic through a maze of paths that in the dark looked similar to the roads to the Lodging House but were in fact very different.

"Excuse me, but who might forbid you from doing anything?' Relic questioned. It was impossible that someone could keep this girl, the one with a charming smile and batting eyelashes from doing anything she pleased.

"What were you doing following Spot Conlon of all people? And so poorly might I add." Laces giggled.

"He knows things, he shouldn't…" Relic stopped abruptly talking and walking. She had just figured out something about the way that Spot knew things, the way that Laces always knew things.

"You told him." Relic whispered.

"Stay here," Laces pushed Relic onto a tiny bench against a brick wall.

"But…" Relic started but Laces was already gone. The sound of voices murmured around her.


	7. While Mortals Sleep, Angels Keep

**While Mortals Sleep, Angels Keep **

Laces entered into a large open space, an abandoned warehouse that was teeming with life. Candles were burning brightly in every direction with some oil lamps scattered among them. Children were sleeping in hammocks, on pillows, in heaps together under blankets. Others were sitting around crates playing cards, or smoking and chatting. A makeshift Christmas tree sat in the exact center of the room with all sorts of trinkets probably stolen hanging from it like ornaments. Forgotten Christmas Cards like the one that Relic had found the day before sat in a circle, like a barrier, around the tree itself. Upon closer inspection an observer would notice the oddly placed socks hanging from places, stockings for the many inhabitants of the warehouse. Nearest to the largest door was a clutter of mix matched couches and chair with one large table and that's where Laces stopped at full attention.

"I should take a stick to you," Critter O'Connell grumbled.

"She'd been following him all night and I was the first to notice." Laces defended.

Critter lit a cigarette and looked up towards the ceiling of the warehouse, his shaggy brown hair swaying with his every movement. Laces stood patiently for less than a minute and then started to bounce up onto her toes and back down onto her heel impatiently. She remained quiet for only two minutes before jumping in to provide more detail and defense to Critter, that remained as still as he had started.

"I couldn't leave her out to freeze! You couldn't expect that…" She began. Critter tilted his head down his eyes drilling into Laces until she was silent again.

"You told Spot, I presume that she was following you? Because then you could have easily allowed him to make the decision to let her into the lodging house for the night." Critter stated knowing well that Laces had done no such thing.

"I didn't know she was following…" Laces started but Critter shook his head.

"A liar can lie in a ditch on fire and no one would bother with a bucket of water." He warned. The phrase was something that Critter had learned at a young age from his mother and it had stuck with him all his life.

"Can't she stay here? I think she'd be a good bird." Laces jumped.

"Absolutely not. She can not stay here, she would then know all of us instead of just some." Critter kicked his heel up onto the table with such force that it demonstrated the case completely closed.

"What am I suppose to do?" Laces frowned and crossed her arms.

"Tell Spot of what has happened. Report to me. Not get involved. Stay unseen and unheard." Critter instructed.

Laces made a face and started tapping her foot expectantly waiting again.

"I should take a stick to you." Critter repeated the first thing he had said to her and Laces giggled.

"I'll tell Spot, if she can stay here tonight and we start considering her becoming a bird." Laces negotiated.

"You'll tell Spot or I will take that stick to you. She will not stay here tonight but you may take her somewhere to stay warm. And if you can explain why she should be a bird, I might keep considering the option." Critter commanded. Laces wrinkled her nose, as the negotiation between Critter O'Connell, leader of the birds of Brooklyn, never went well for her or anyone who wasn't Critter O'Connell.

"She followed Spot all night, you didn't even notice her." Laces smiled widely at the revelation. Critter rolled his eyes but knew that the girl had a point indeed, he hadn't been paying attention because who in their right mind would follow Spot Conlon at night in Brooklyn?

"Consideration then. We shall discuss your lack of discipline at a further time, because believe me dear Laces we shall have to deal with that matter soon." Critter stated darkly and Laces turned to run before he could change his mind about the time and place for that discussion. As she stepped out into the night air again, Pockets appeared next to her with two large blankets.

"You're leaving an awful lot of clues for this girl to figure us out…" Pockets chastised Laces.

"She'd be a better bird than newsie." Laces shrugged.

"We can't make all of the people you like into birds." Pockets sighed.

"Says one of the people I liked enough to bring to the nest…" Laces pushed into Pockets playfully. The conversation of matters outside Relic's understanding or privilege of knowing stopped as the pair of birds reached the shivering girl.

"There is a shop just a few blocks down from here, the backdoor is left slightly open by the boy that closes on every third and sixth night of the week. If you don't mind sleeping on the floor for a few hours, and leaving as the sunrises we can sleep there." Pockets suggested.

"Pockets? Where did you two come from? Why are there so many voices all of a sudden?" Relic demanded barely making out the two shadows standing in front of her.

"Come on…" Laces grabbed Relic's hand and with some force pulled the girl up to her feet and led her along. Pockets placed a blanket around her shoulders, providing even more warmth and direction as he used his hands on her shoulders to steer her steps.

The trio reached the back door of a dark shop and Laces effortlessly pushed it open. Stepping inside, Pockets let go of Relic's shoulders and placed his blanket stretched out onto the ground. Laces produced a lit candle from somewhere inside her coat and Pockets and Laces sat down.

They were inside a tailor shop, as coats and fabrics hung around them lifeless. Relic studied the place thoroughly before resentfully sitting down across from the two unnervingly cheerful people.

"Do you two usually sleep here?" Relic asked.

"No." Pockets responded. "Who usually sleeps in a tailor shop?"

"In 8 months you've never missed a curfew, we've never had to sleep here before." Laces nodded.

"Spot hates Christmas." Relic spit out frustrated that none of her conversations today had gone the way she had planned or anticipated in her own head.

"Ah, well yes." Pockets nodded sadly.

"You know why?" Relic asked surprised.

"He doesn't hate it." Laces whispered. As Relic turned to look at her Laces was shrugging out of her coat and folding it up into a pillow.

"You followed Spot tonight because he hates Christmas?" Pockets questioned as he did the same as Laces with his coat. Relic following their trend curled up her coat.

"Spot has never had a Christmas." Laces interjected.

"What?" Relic and Pockets both asked. Laces rested her head down and motioned for them both to join her.

"You'll share the blanket?" Pockets prompted of Relic who was still wrapped around the shoulders. Relic nodded and threw the large quilt open, a quilt that was so much like the Christmas Card the newsgirl wondered if Laces and Pockets couldn't have somehow stolen the thing.

"Spot doesn't remember Christmas as anything but what he thinks it is now. A pain, a headache really for the leader of the almighty Brooklyn." Laces began.

"But why?" Relic whispered as Pockets blew out their lone candle.

"Winter is a harsh thing in this city, people get sick." Laces explained.

"Poor people faster than others." Pockets continued.

"In the winter newsboys get into more trouble, end up in places like…" Laces didn't finish.

"The new Disciplinary Home or the old Refugee." Pockets exclaimed.

"I can't even tell a story you don't know alone…" Laces grumbled but proceed. "Charities need to give and do during the season and well that is aggravating even though on occasion useful."

"As your jacket shows," Pockets poked up at the pillow under Relic's head.

"But how does this have anything to do with Christmas?" Relic muttered.

"Christmas and the winter are the same to the leader of Brooklyn, a series of headaches concerning the many people that he is responsible for, or that he thinks he's responsible for." Pocket explained.

"And Spot's mother died in the winter from a fever." Laces sighed.

"When he was young?" Relic guessed.

"Young enough." Laces retorted.

"Is that why he attends mass?"

"Yes, partially. He attends much more often in the winter than in the summer." Laces sighed.

"He doesn't like the complications of Christmas?" Relic yawned.

"Something as such." Pockets whispered.

"I think we should give Spot a Christmas…" Relic yawned again but never heard the answer to her suggestion as her eyes shut and her mind turned off into a dream without any consent from herself.

The next morning the lodging house bunkroom broke out into an indescribable chaos when Ruin popped his head into the curtained bed of Relic to find it empty.

A series of questioning carried out by Ruin and Bullseye to find out if any of the boys had seen Relic enter the lodging house last night. By the end of the investigation game it was concluded that the last person to see Relic at all the night before was Spot Conlon. But even Spot admitted he hadn't seen the girl since the sun had set and he couldn't even begin to guess where she had gone after that.

"What if Ben did come back into Brooklyn?" Bullseye whispered to Spot.

"He's capable of killing her," Ruin paled at the mere suggestion.

"He wouldn't dare come back into Brooklyn." Spot confidently shook his head. The idea that anyone would dare defy him was far outside the reach of proper thought for Spot at this point in his infamy.

"A search party then?" Bullseye questioned with a hint at something else, something that Ruin didn't understand but he did catch the quiet exchange between Spot and his second in command.

"Nothing happened to her." Spot again stated confidently as he looked out the window.

"Not possible." Bullseye agreed. Ruin was confused as to how both boys could state facts and not just reassurances to his own rising panic.

"Bottle Cap," Spot waved over the younger boy. Cap ran over without hesitation and jumped to full attention when to the right of Spot, awaiting his orders.

"Go on with Ruin, check where Ruin might think she is." Spot nodded.

"Where are you going?" Ruin asked.

"To check all the places we think she might be." Bullseye shrugged. At that the boys separated in search of the only newsgirl at the Brooklyn Lodging House.

The sun had come up over an hour ago and the snow was starting to melt in the streets as Relic found herself with only Laces sitting on top of a building without any blankets.

"Where did Pockets go?" Relic asked knowing the answer would never come. Laces had her feet hanging off the side of the building fearless kicking her feet as she watched the people come out for work.

"You should go on back to the lodging house, you know how to get there from here?" Laces asked without looking at her.

"Do you sit up here so you can see people?" Relic asked seriously as she looked down at the street below and recognized a familiar face or two of her customers.

"Ruin thinks you're dead." Laces responded trying to scare Relic into going back without any more questions.

"But he knows that I'm not." Relic frowned.

"Does he?" Laces mused.

"Well yes, he must." Relic thought aloud. Laces laid back onto the rooftop, kicking up her feet to swing them back up and around. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep for a few minutes.

"He's near the Brooklyn Eagle office, you know where that's at?" Laces kept her eyes closed.

"Yeah near the coffee we sometimes get in the mornings." Relic stood to her feet. She knew that she was the one that would have to leave, Laces was apparently hiding from someone on this rooftop.

"Stay out of Spot's way," Laces warned before Relic climbed down the building staircase that Laces had led her up.

Relic was leaving the building as Spot turned the corner. He watched her in the long coat he personally had grabbed from the coats that the sisters had brought out to the four Brooklyn children's homes just three days ago. He knew none of his boys would have had the sense to grab the jacket for the girl, and though maybe Ruin could be depended on to remember his own best friend he lacked enough common sense to remember the affects of cold.

Spot waited for Relic to walk down the street to where he suspected Ruin and Bottle Cap were currently also heading. At least, he knew that his birds were always well informed if they were willing to follow orders was a completely different matter. As soon as the maroon coat had swished around a corner, Spot stepped up and walked into the tenant building and jogged up the stairs.

Laces laid completely still with her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around her body on the rooftop still even after she heard the roof top door open and closed and the soft sound of dangerous footsteps.

"What did you do?" Spot asked calmly enough for Laces to know he was furious.

"I did nothing." Laces responded still not moving an inch. There most of been some high hopes in the excitable girl to believe that if she stay perfectly still Spot would stop seeing her or maybe get bored of her and leave.

"Come on then," Spot tapped the point of his shoe against her elbow. Laces let out an exasperated overly dramatic sigh as she sat up and popped open her dark brown eyes.

"She followed you about last night." Laces reported in a bored voice. Sometimes it was incredible to her how dense Spot Conlon was about his own existence in the borough.

"Followed me about?" Spot questioned.

"Since the moment you left her in the bakery, she followed you." Laces nodded. Spot stayed silent, waiting.

"To mass, to the bar, to the several report sessions. Since you ignored curfew so did she, because she never once assumed that she couldn't get in late with the ease that you do…" Laces shrugged.

"Why didn't Critter notice her?" Spot crossed his arms, suspicious of the information.

"The same reason you didn't." Laces stood up now, resigned to being noticed in the world of hidden informants. Spot tapped his cane impatiently against the graveled ground.

"You aren't as untouchable as your reputation might have you believing." Laces winked. Spot smacked the girl on the back of the head now, softly but still enough of an impact to establish his authority.

"Why didn't you tell when you noticed?" Spot demanded.

"I had to be sure what I believed was true," Laces stepped back from him.

"And when you were sure?" Spot asked.

"Well then I didn't want you to get all angry." Laces defended.

"And you saw no harm in this approach?" Spot demanded tapping his cane yet again. Laces skipped over to be next to the door of the tenant building, creating her own escape route in her mind.

"She's safe, you got to sleep. I got to ask Critter if Relic could be a bird. There was no harm done all around last night." Laces nodded.

"You are not to withhold information about the whereabouts of any of those under my care ever again, you understand me?" Spot demanded.

"Understood, captain." Laces smiled mockingly.

"Just because I agree with you about Relic does not mean that we are going to do this your way, understood?" Spot pointed his cane at her now.

"Understood." Laces nodded more seriously this time as she saw the flash of gray in Spot's eyes that meant a coming storm.

"You'll watch her today?" Spot asked.

"Yes. Are you going to the Christmas party thrown by the newspaper giants?" Laces asked.

"Yes tonight we'll all be heading that way." Spot nodded as he pulled open the door. He held it open for Laces, in a true gentlemen fashion.

Across town a little bell rang over the door of a small coffee shop and Relic waltzed into a panicking Ruin's arms.

"Joseph, Mary and Jesus…" Ruin shouted as he saw the girl. All the color returned to his cheeks and Bottle Cap laughed at the sight of the maroon coat flying into the store right into the older boy's arms.

"Misses curfew. Lost track of time." Relic said in broken sentences as Ruin clutched her to him.

"Thought you went off and got into a fight with someone. Thought you were dead. Of all the stupid things you got to go and do, so like you…" Ruin talked into her shoulder for a few minutes before finally releasing her.

"You slept all right? You didn't go out and sleep in the snow? Get yourself sick?" Ruin demanded inspecting her for evidence of snow or mistreatment.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's go get our morning papers before they are out then? Sorry for the trouble Cap…" Relic smiled sheepishly at the younger boy.

"Every day in Brooklyn is trouble." Cap winked at her as the three walked out of the shop in a brisk pace heading towards the distribution docks where the bells were already ringing in the distance.

* * *

Author's Note: As we approach the ending here which I have high hopes to be posted by Friday afternoon (but don't hold me to it) I wanted to give a few notes to my secret santa, Miss Relic, who has so wonderfully been reviewing (and the rest of you whom I also appreciate greatly).

This story was made easier, much easier by three facts: 1. I knew that Relic had written a history story years ago (9 to be exact) and thus I had read it but decided to re-read it for character insight and a better story. 2. The profile I was provided with by Peg who ran the secret santa but better the profile I had from years ago that Relic sent me for my own stories. 3. Relic is one of my own recurring characters in the Sunny Days Saga... Thus, the fact was that Relic was going to get a long story, because well we've known each other to long.

I really love to hear you're all liking it. Hope you like where it keeps going, I have one more insight to offer but I won't tell you until the last chapter.


	8. There Watch of Wandering Love

**There Watch of Wandering Love **

The newsboy Christmas gathering of the newspaper giants Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst was a party of incomparable proportions. This holiday it was in Brooklyn, at one of the show houses that Spot frequently went to on severely cold afternoons. It was completely decked out in festive decorations from tinsel and popcorn strings to an elaborately staged Santa Claus sitting on top of the stage inside.

Long tables were pushed up against the walls with dozens of plates of food from hams to cookies to hidden bowls of boiled cabbages. Music was being played by a local Irish band that played the Christmas carols of the day at the beginning but were readily prepared to switch to a party jig within in a moment's notice. There was even a bag of gifts, not wrapped but neatly arranged near the doors for the boys and few girls when they left the celebration. The newspapermen themselves never made an appearance but they didn't cut to many corners in their one act of charity towards the boys that made their business so profitable.

At a quarter after eight, Relic entered regally being escorted on the arms of both Ruin and Bottle Cap. Clad in her now staple maroon winter coat, she stood in the middle of the group of Hannah, Ruin, Cap and Annabelle. Ruin hadn't let Relic out of his sight since the morning, his overly protective nature kicking into high gear since he was guilty over not noticing she had not come in the night before. Bottle Cap, meanwhile, was good-naturedly acting as a mediator and calming force between the two old friends.

The boys escorted their ladies to an empty table, crowded against a table of Manhattan Newsboys that consisted of Jack Kelly, Mush, Kid Blink and Racetrack Higgins and David Jacobs with a collection of unfamiliar girls. Letting the girls to sit the boys immediately disappeared in search of refreshments.

"You were with Spot Conlon yesterday," Hannah stated staring at Relic carefully. Relic nodded as the mention of the said leader reminder her of his existence she started to scan the room for his familiar black cane or gray cap.

"Are you his girl then?" Annabelle inquired softly. Relic's head snapped back around from her search to stare into the light color of the eyes of the paler of the two girls.

"What?" Relic asked.

"Spot doesn't bring girls around, you see, unless of course he's interested in them." Hannah explained patiently.

"Isn't Spot Conlon interested in a new doll every other week?" Relic asked confused, knowing his reputation as well as anyone in Brooklyn.

"No," Annabelle shook her head.

"He's got a new girl every other week, but that's more for face than for actual interest." Hannah further explained. Relic watched the ease in which the two girls shared the conversation both in a mild mannered way that was unfamiliar to a girl who lived in a world of boys. Relic understood instantly though the long-friendship between Hannah and Annabelle, guessing that both girls must have worked many years at the bakery together serving many and always remembering Spot Conlon. The revelation of their long relationship with Spot led to the next impulsive question.

"Did you know him when he liked Christmas?" Relic asked. She remembered the vague cloudy memories of a tired exchange between Laces, Pockets and herself which had given her the answers about Christmas she had needed but there was a part of Relic that had to double check the answer before confirming it as truth.

"I'm not sure he ever has…" Hannah replied puzzled.

"It's not the he dislikes it, he just doesn't like or rather doesn't know how to acknowledge it." Annabelle spoke up.

"Right." Relic frowned displeased to find out that her mysterious friends were correct, according to two more people.

Ruin and Bottle Cap had returned to the table carrying all that their arms allowed. Drinks were handed off, a set of steaming cups filled with hot cocoa and hot cider. Then plates of festive snacks, with frostings and sugars that the boys waited for all year were placed strategically on the table closer to Ruin and to Cap.

"What were you talking about?" Ruin asked as he sat down with an arm around stretched around Hannah.

"Nothing really, it's a nice party." Hannah responded quickly. Relic gave her a quick curious glance but didn't say a word, it seemed that Spot Conlon did make friends because so many people were willing to protect him from conversation and greater threats. Relic kept staring around the large room unsuccessfully being able to keep track of the conversation she remained quietly involved in her own endeavors.

"Are you looking for Spot?" Annabelle asked in hushed voice after a while. The others were discussing the differences between peddling the World over the Journal in a shouting match between Jack's newsies that were close enough to speak normally but wouldn't.

"I thought he was coming?" Relic responded unabashed at being caught.

"He is here." Annabelle nodded and pointed a dainty, discreet finger towards the corner where the stage meet with a long bar. Standing completely de-attached to the party, in the least amount of light possible, drinking something that was warm and nibbling on a piece of ham was Spot Conlon.

"Oh." Relic sighed as she noticed him finally. How long had he been standing there? Why hadn't she noticed him before? Where had she been looking for him? Relic scanned the room again trying to decide how it was that she had missed him, so obviously placed in the darkest corner. As her hazel eyes swept the jolly merriment of boys everywhere, She understood that she thought Spot would be taking part in the celebration. She wanted him to be in the spotlight, in the way of getting attention somewhere from someone but he wasn't. Was Spot Conlon the person that Relic believed him to be at all? Or was he just immensely different depending on what the season was?

Spot Conlon had a scowl on his face, until the moment he felt the hazel eyes on him from the distance. He was now acutely aware of his audience, since Laces had pointed out his great folly of lack of awareness. He had noticed when she walked in, he had nodded at Cap who had looked directly at him and laughed at Ruin's protective stance with his shoulder rolled forward over Relic like a human shield. Spot had watched as Hannah and Annabelle had talked with Relic and he had been amused when Relic had searched for him and not been able to find him.

The leader of Brooklyn newsies hadn't decided what he wanted to say to Relic. He didn't know if he should acknowledge her disregard for his established rules, or if he should ignore the one infraction as a mere misstep and congratulate her on not being hurt. Should he acknowledge her questions from the day before or continue to ignore them? Did he really want to talk to her at all? She was, after all, back at the lodging house and safe. But she had been following him and her curiosity and impulse would become a problem if he kept ignoring her.

The debate didn't last long as Relic finally got up from her own table and walked towards Spot's corner of the party. He knew she was walking towards him, to have some sort of discussion with him, no matter how much she tried to stop along the way and dance around the other tables to make it appear as if he was not her destination.

When she reached the piece of bar next to him, she even went so far as to pretend she was refilling her own drink and didn't notice Spot. Spot stirred the drink in front of him, slowly deliberately concentrating on the tiny action of moving his straw around in the substance. He refused to be the first to acknowledge the girl, she had trekked all the way across the theater she should be the first to acknowledge him. And so the two young people sat there next to each other, without communicating for a longer period of time than anyone would have guessed from a distance.

As the band moved into a lively jig that had everyone else on their feet and the entire place jumping with excitement, Spot and Relic sat in an eerily stillness.

"I was about five or six," Spot finally started just as Relic turned around to finally acknowledge his presence. She opened her mouth but nothing came out of it, so Spot pushed forward.

"We had a tree and I think we had stockings, but Christmas didn't come that year. Mum died. I can't remember if it was before or after Christmas but it was that year and Dad didn't last too much longer after that. It was a fever, I don't know why I didn't get it…"

He didn't look at her while he spoke. Relic, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off of his set jaw and cast down eyes.

"I followed you last night." Relic blurted suddenly, an exasperated attempt to divulge as much information as the tight-lipped boy in front of her. Spot looked up finally his face set in a mocking smile.

"Yes, I knew that." He laughed.

"I don't know, I don't want to…" Relic started stumbling over her own words.

"We don't have to talk about it." Spot stated simply.

"Is that why you don't like the boys celebrating Christmas?" Relic asked not extending the same courtesy that Spot was giving her.

"Christmas gives people hope," Spot commented as he pushed his cup forward on the bar to one of the jolly looking servers.

"And you don't think we should have hope?" Relic asked outraged.

"Not exactly. Christmas hope is something that is different than the kind of hope we should have. There aren't going to be gifts under a tree for us. And snow in our world doesn't mean a white Christmas it means a cold one." Spot attempted to explain himself.

"You don't like not being able to achieve the goals of the hope." Relic frowned at understanding. Spot was silent.

"That's not what hope is, hope is not something that can be attained it something that can be believed in." Relic explained.

"No, that's faith. Faith is different from hope all together." Spot shook his head and finally looked back at her.

"But you don't restrict it?" Relic asked again.

"Restrict Christmas?" Spot smiled.

"Yes?" Relic asked worried.

"That would be unfair of me." Spot frowned.

"Then why do the boys hide Christmas from you?" Relic scrunched up her nose as she looked around to find some of her favorite Brooklyn boys.

"They hide it from me because it makes me difficult, according to Bullseye." Spot chuckled softly as he caught sight of Bullseye dancing around one of the actresses of a comedy act that had presented earlier in the evening.

"You are always difficult." Laces giggled jumping up from behind the counter.

"You," Spot tilted his head back to glare at the girl while Relic had jumped with fright sending her entire drink into Laces' face.

"Cider," Laces licked her lips lovingly.

"What are you doing here?" Spot asked.

"You know what there is at Christmas Parties…" Laces smiled deviously before jumping over the counter and taking off ducking under every other boy in her way.

"How is it that you know Laces?" Relic asked staring after her odd friend.

"One story a night is my limit." Spot responded carefully.

"So the holidays are stressful?" Relic jumped off her chair and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well… yes." Spot's eyebrow shot up, surprised that they could still be talking about this.

"Aren't they stressful for everyone?" Relic asked.

"I suppose…" Spot said slowly, worried where this conversation might be heading.

"Aren't you being…" Relic started but the thought never got finished as cheering started from somewhere in the middle of the room. Spot jumped to his feet, immediately determined to find out what was happening and to get out of any more discussion of Christmas.

Skittery was standing on top of a table, holding a little sprig of mistletoe, high above his own head and dangling it over Laces and Jack Kelly. By the looks of the commotion, Laces had instigated an elaborate plan to get Jack into this very position.

"Mistletoe, of course." Relic laughed. Jack rolled his eyes and bent down intending to kiss Laces on the cheek but the little vagabond turned her cheek just in time to gain a kiss on the lips. She winked at Relic from the distance and as soon as Jack pulled back she disappeared into the sea of people. Jack Kelly turned red but embarrassment never suited the famed leader of the strike, so the color was soon gone.

"Did you think it a good idea to follow me last night?" Spot asked as he started walking through the boys, towards Jack.

Relic followed him, an instinct she was beginning to fear was becoming far too much of a habit.

"I can't say that I really…" Relic started.

"Thought for a second about it." Spot chuckled.

As Relic picked up her skirts to get around a group of boys doing a jig, kicking their feet and stomping about like children on parade. Spot didn't have to move out of anyone's way, in his expert manner of maneuvering with sheer presence. He reached Jack first and immediately fell into a conversation with him. By the time Relic reached them she had lost her monopoly of Spot and had to entertain herself with the wild boys of Manhattan.

Racetrack was taking bets on which of the younger boys would fall asleep first, while David was engaged in a discussion of the political functions of Tammany Hall with a bored looking Specs. Relic fell in tow with Mush and Blink that were playing some sort of confusing hand game that involved smacking each other's palms. She watched for a few minutes trying to pick up the rules or the general gist of the game itself. After four games, she was ready to join into the violent looking fun.

"I want to…" Relic started.

"They hit hard." Laces whispered to her before Relic finished expressing her desire.

"I thought you left." Relic snapped at her.

"I come and go a lot." Laces commented back.

"Yes, you do." Relic rolled her eyes.

"Did you get all your answers then?" Laces asked seriously.

"No." Relic responded.

"Answers only come to those who seek." Laces quoted nodded at the sage advice.

"I have been seeking…" Relic argued.

"Well not enough if you didn't get all your answers. Or you dismiss the answers when they come." Laces shrugged.

"Aren't you full of advice today." Relic sighed.

"Always. Were you serious about Christmas?" Laces asked with her eyes bright with excitement.

"Yes?" Relic replied thoroughly confused. Laces clapped and then dropped down and ducked behind Mush. Relic was left confused and alone for moments before cheering and laughter erupted around her again. Spot was pushed up against her shoulder and Skittery threw the mistletoe at Jack, who was climbing over David to stand on a chair.

Before Relic processed what was happening to her, Spot was giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, Kelly even did better than that!" Bullseye called out from the crowd. Spot shot him a glare that would have made Bullseye think his life short. But Spot wasn't one that would lose at even an imaginary competition with Jack, so in a dramatic movement he swung his arm around Relic's waist and dipped her before he planted his lips onto hers.

The hooting and the hollering became unbearable automatically. Relic struggled against Spot instincts kicking in far before her logical understanding of the situation. Spot released her gently but without much production he turned back to talk to Jack again. Relic was left dazed and started walking back towards the table she had arrived with hours ago.

"What you doing kissing Spot Conlon?" Ruin demanded, furiously annoyed from his seat next to Hannah.

"I think Spot Conlon kissed her," Hannah winked at Relic.

"What were they suppose to do, there was mistletoe." Cap shrugged as he pecked his own girl on the nose softly.

"Look here," Ruin leaned forward on the table.

"Where exactly do you want me to look?' Relic mocked as she sat down and checked over her shoulder.

"Spot Conlon ain't someone you should take a fancy too…" Ruin warned.

"Why not?" Annabelle asked seriously, as Cap hugged her shoulders.

"He got a temper. Relic has a problem with tempered men…" Ruin frowned.

"Spot Conlon ain't nothing like that git, nothing. He would never hit a girl with brass knuckles or anything short of maybe his own hand in a playful way." Cap stated defensively.

"Well, I'm just saying it might not be a good idea." Ruin grumbled.

"No one said anything about having a fancy for anything, least of all Spot Conlon." Relic shrugged though she kept glancing over her shoulder to stare at Spot still standing stoically ignoring her from across the tables.


	9. O Morning Stars Together

**O Morning Stars Together **

The night was cold, possibly the coldest of the winter in the city but the boys had long since arrived back at their lodging house. It was the night before Christmas and all through the lodging house nothing was stirring, not even a mouse. The newsboys were all tucked in their beds, sleeping and dreaming of headlines and treats from the party they had left.

The darkness made it impossible to see for the normal person but birds weren't normal. Laces and Pockets could navigate through the Brooklyn Lodging House with their eyes closed, in darkness, in light, in any condition and most of the time completely unseen or unheard.

Pockets was softly but eagerly jumping up each step, while Laces was skipping lightly up the last step of the stairs.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Pockets whispered.

"It's a marvelous idea!" Laces whispered back.

"I think you're mad." Pockets snapped back in an angry whisper.

"And I think you're just lovely." Laces winked at him as she crawled into the bunkroom.

She slinked along the floor in the darkness, being careful not to wake any of the snoring boys. She reached the last bunk with the curtains and popped her head up underneath the curtain.

"Relic," Laces whispered. Relic didn't wake though. She instead turned her back to the girl.

"Samantha Keats," Laces sang in a hushed tone. This made Relic sit up, in a complete slumber but at full attention.

"Not yet," She murmured.

"Relic, come off it." Laces snapped her fingers in front of Relic's nose and the girl woke startled in the dark.

She blinked and started rubbing her eyes of the sleep so that she could see past her nose.

"Are you done waking up then?" Laces demanded.

"For the love of," Relic choked back her loud words as Laces hit her with her own pillow.

"Hush up, you'll wake everyone." Laces warned her in the darkness.

"Instead you just wake me?" Relic asked grumpily. "For what reason?"

"You said you were serious about Christmas." Laces tilted her head, a movement that Relic recognized in her blurred vision in the darkness.

"Well yes, but its Christmas and middle of the night at that…" Relic yawned.

"Christmas doesn't happen alone." Laces' hand shot out as she started pulling Relic to get out of bed.

It was a miracle that Relic didn't wake anyone else up in the dark game of follow Laces they played while getting out of the bunkroom. Once outside, Laces shushed Relic until they were down the stairs again.

"Took you long enough." Pockets complained when both girls were on the first floor.

"Yeah, well. Was it enough time to get something done on your end?" Laces asked.

"Excuse me, what is it that we're doing?" Relic yawned again.

"Christmas." Laces and Pockets answered together.

"Christmas isn't something you do." Relic argued.

"It is when we do it." Laces giggled.

"What in Brooklyn are you talking about?" Relic asked crankily.

"Christmas, try to keep up there Relic." Pockets laughed. The two shadows carried Relic out to the front of the lodging house where Relic's eyes grew big at the sight of a wagon carrying what must best be described as Christmas.

The wagon had a tree, one of the largest trees that Relic had ever seen in her life. There were crates of fancy decorations with bells and ribbons and candles. Even the smell of Christmas was rising from the little wagon and Relic laughed understanding what it was that her two friends were carrying on about.

"Where did you steal it from?" She demanded crossing her arms.

"We do not steal things." Pockets stated resentfully.

"We borrow things, sometimes without asking." Laces winked.

"But Christmas we did not either steal nor borrow." Pockets walked towards the wagon, as he started to untie the ropes holding down the items.

"The items are from Joe and Will's Christmas Parade, they were going to throw the items out anyway. Why waste such tidings?" Laces asked.

"So you took these items from the hall tonight?" Relic asked amazed. She stared at the two figures that were meticulously working on either side of the wagon at untying the rope. Pockets was a tall boy, broad shoulders but thin as a boy who had lived on the streets most of his life. He had a twinkle in his eyes and a smile that was contagious. Laces was a blur of tiny movement hidden under her large coat, but even her dark hair that matched the night was sticking up with sheer excitement. Pockets and Laces lacked the harsh meanness of the streets, they were the some of the best souls that Relic had ever meet aside from Ruin. She didn't understand what possessed them to bring Christmas as they had, she couldn't even define what type of street kid they were or how they managed to appear from thin air but she didn't care. Relic liked Pockets and Laces, nay it might even be said that she loved the two kids as if they were family or as close as she had to family in years.

"What can I do to help?" Relic finally asked as the snow started to fall upon them again.

"Grab the tip of the tree." Laces laughed.

The three of them worked until dawn, quietly and slowly as not to wake any of the boys prematurely. Pockets hung the boughs of holly in places, along with stringing along ribbon from the ceiling. Laces pranced and danced around hanging ornaments, placing candles and hanging stocking from anything that would hold them. Relic worked respectively on the tree, giving it a life and character of its own.

At dawn, Annabelle and Hannah appeared in their coats and shawls with two baskets of freshly baked bread. Laces jumped to open the door for them and Relic was amazed at the very complete nature and large effort that Laces and Pockets had put into creating Christmas at the Brooklyn Lodging House.

"Merry Christmas." Hannah and Annabelle whispered at the door as Laces took the baskets.

"Merry Christmas and happy new year," Relic wished both girls.

The finishing touch was putting down the basket as the boys started trekking down the stairs.

"Have you seen Relic?" Ruin was shouting as the first boy came walking out of the room.

"What do you mean have you seen Relic," Spot's voice was dangerously aggravated.

"Merry Christmas," Pockets and Laces said at the same time, kissing Relic on each cheek before jumping out the nearest window. The credit for Christmas wouldn't go to the invisible Christmas Angels, but Relic was sure that Spot would know they had a hand in the inspired moment.

The shouting increased as more boys came trotting down the stairs and Relic felt bad for the moment of panic she was causing Ruin again. But as soon as Bottle Cap reached the parlor and saw the extravagant set-up he whistled once loudly with his fingers in his mouth.

Spot pushed past all his boys at the sound of the whistle. He almost tripped down the stairs before he reached a position right next Bottle Cap to witness Christmas.

"What is this?" Spot demanded of Relic, who stood in the center of the room.

"Well," Relic started walking forward to him so that she could see the line of boys that was bunched up on the stairs now.

"It's Christmas of course," Relic laughed. The chaos began at that moment as boys spilled into the room and stood in awe of the decorations and the very spirit of the room.

The singing started not long after that moment, some through the muffled full mouths of the boy eating the warm bread. The morning was full of delight and enjoyment that hadn't been felt on a Christmas morning in Brooklyn for years. The stockings had been filled with the left over candy of the party from the night before so everyone received a gift.

At one point in the morning, Ruin pulled Relic out of the parlor and onto the stairs. She was laughing at some joke that Bullseye had just told and almost tripped over her own feet.

"How'd you manage all this?" Ruin asked as he invited her to sit down on the steps.

"Pockets and Laces," Relic smiled.

"All night?" Ruin asked.

"Well, Christmas doesn't happen alone." Relic giggled repeating what Laces had said to her only hours before.

"Christmas Angels never more mischievous ever did live." Ruin smiled.

"So did you come out here to make sure that I didn't get into some scrape to put this together then?" Relic asked her friend.

"No," Ruin winked as he pulled something out of his pocket. "I came out here to give you a present."

"I gave you your present already." Relic threw up her hands.

"Yes and those skate blades are magnificent things." Ruin smiled. "But here,"

Relic took the carefully wrapped item and smiled as she started opening it. Once the brown parcel paper was removed, Relic found a stack of cards sitting in the paper.

"Christmas Cards?" Relic asked.

"You got beat up over one, I figured you had a fancy for them." Ruin shrugged looking sheepishly at her.

Relic took them carefully and studied each card as Ruin watched her face light up at the collection he had selected. Each had an elaborate drawn picture of Santa Claus, or children, or some celebration of the winter.

"These are beautiful." Relic smiled.

"You like them then? They aren't silly?" Ruin asked carefully. Relic threw her arms around her friend and gave him thanks.

"Merry Christmas." Relic kissed him on the cheek. "Do thank Hannah for me?"

"Hannah?" Ruin asked confused.

"She brought us the bread." Relic rolled her eyes as she ran up to the bunkroom.

Relic tucked her cards away underneath her bunk, tying them back up with the brown parcel paper hoping to remember to bring them out next year. A bell was ringing downstairs, signaling the start of the working day as even the papers came out on Christmas day, though only one edition.

The day in Brooklyn was brighter, nicer, and lighter than most days in Brooklyn. There was something about starting the day with a true celebration, a joyous combination of Christmas spirit and tidings with friends that made everything in the world seem better.

Relic was pleased until the moment she sold her second paper and she suddenly remembered the lack of Spot Conlon in her memories of the morning. He had come in and he had seen the Christmas, but he hadn't said anything. His face hadn't lit up and his gratitude hadn't been over bearing in anyway. Relic was brought down from her good mood immediately, her hopes for giving Spot Conlon the Christmas he had never had failed.

**

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**

_My dearest readers: I apologize profusely for my delay. I went ahead and wrote furiously this afternoon to finish two chapters for today. There is one more chapter, so you will get one more chapter in the new year of the story. I hope you enjoy these two segments and that you have a marvelous new years. _**  
**


	10. Great Tidings Tell

**The Great Glad Tidings Tell **

Spot Conlon sat on the docks of the East River, a usual hang out for the Brooklyn boys during the summer. But during the winter, no one ever neared the docks where the river breeze made everything colder, which of course was the only reason Spot had settled in the abandoned hang out for the afternoon.

He wasn't completely alone on his lone perch though against the pole he was sitting upon sat Laces, bundled up in her coat. She was expertly poking at a fire she had contained in a steel trash can top. The pair was annoyed and consumed in their own thoughts at the end of the dock.

It was the day after Christmas and Spot had been actively avoiding his boys, especially the girl. The only contact with people that Spot was allowing himself was with his birds that were left to run around more than usual because Spot was refusing to gather his normal everyday information on his own.

"Why can't you just say thank you and be done with it?" Laces demanded grumpily.

"I've told you, that's not what I want to do." Spot gritted his teeth, impatient with Laces' impatience as he started to light another cigarette.

"And I don't understand why you couldn't be like everyone else and graciously say thank you when it happened. Why you got to go run off and be sulky and mysterious?" Laces looked up at him.

Spot rolled his eyes and didn't even bother to answer her question; instead he looked off into the river brooding again. Laces slumped back against the pole, crossing her arms angrily. Critter, in all his wisdom, had assigned Laces to help Spot think over his current predicament, as it was partially her fault it had arose anyway. If Spot wasn't so stubbornly difficult, Laces would have had an easier time at her task but nothing was ever easy in Brooklyn.

The leader of Brooklyn was brooding over a way to show his gratitude for the actions of Relic. It was true what Laces was complaining about, that Spot was unlike the norm of people and didn't just easily say thank you when the event happened. Actually the boy had been so startled by the action, by the grand gesture of loyalty and care that he had quietly disappeared from the festivities into the morning. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it, quite the contrary as he was overcome with a feeling that was unfamiliar to him. Spot was always able to express his direct blunt gratitude for gestures that were familiar to him on the streets. If Ruin took a punch from an oncoming attacker, if Bullseye dealt with two fighting newsboys, if Bottle Cap saved him the last twenty papers of the morning edition were all familiar actions. He understood the loyalty and nature of the streets, the idea that his boys would care for him because he cared for them was second nature. But Christmas, Christmas was auxiliary and added benefit to his pretty barren existence. He didn't understand what to do when someone truly went out of their way not for the physical needs and health of a person but for the emotional benefit. That was a different type of action that was an unnecessary type of action.

The reality was that Spot was constantly bombarded with those actions, the kind of unrestricted emotional favors that he believed to be strange. The birds of Brooklyn, the street kids that acted as the eyes and ears of Spot Conlon, were the group that provided Spot with an unconditional love that protected him. But he believed they did it out of a sense of duty and duty was something that a leader of a lodging house could understand. But Relic and Christmas, there was no duty in that action, there was only some pure attempt to please and bring happiness.

"Are we going to sit here all day then?" Laces demanded after an adequate period of silence. As a bird, she had been taught to respect silence as a form of information as Laces she had learned to gauge how much important information she could gather in less than five minutes of silence.

"If you don't hush up we might." Spot warned letting out a long drag of his cigarette.

"Might you get her a present?" Laces perked up at her own suggestion.

"A present for what?" Spot asked looking down at the girl at his feet.

"For Christmas, it's as if you were hit on the head with a hay barrel. Spot Conlon, yeah I know him, he was hit in the head with a hay barrel and doesn't remember that he just celebrated Christmas." Laces grumbled on for a few more minutes, annoyed and waving her hands around like a crazy person as Spot just watched and waited.

"Are you finished?" He demanded when Laces finally stopped prattling on.

"Do you remember what gifts are given for?" Laces responded crossing her arms.

"Don't you get cross with me," Spot tapped the edge of his foot against her shoulder, with the point harshly but with softness still.

"Don't you act daff with me." Laces countered. Spot rolled his eyes.

"Christmas has passed, remember?"

"Yes, but the spirit of the season remains. Besides, the gift will show her that you noticed her gesture and that you acknowledge her attempt even if you are too large of a figure to thank her…" Laces started muttering again.

"Quit it," Spot commanded finally tapping her on the head, a solid knock with his cane.

"Fine," Laces sighed back as she rubbed her head carefully avoiding the end of Spot's still handy cane. As a chill started to breeze through, Spot jumped down from his perch and started walking so quickly that it took Laces almost the entire length of the pier to catch up with his sudden movement.

Spot had a determined twinkle in his eye and Laces knew well enough not to bother with asking any questions of the boy when he was in such a determined state. Instead she did what she always did, followed him quietly and almost invisible to the outside world.

Relic stood impatiently jumping up and down outside the tiny bakery of Hannah and Annabelle. Ruin had insisted upon stopping in to say salutations in the middle of their afternoon of selling and Relic hoping to speed up the process had remained outside. Her ploy hadn't worked, as it had been ages since Ruin had left her standing outside.

Relic started watching the small children on the other side of the street. The kids were running back and forth playing with their newest toys, gifts from mom and dad masquerading as Santa Claus. She laughed at the boys trying but failing at twirling their wooden top on the snow-laden surface of the city's grounds. Her hazel eyes followed a tiny boy jump around on a stick horse that she seriously thought Jack Kelly might enjoy as much as the toddler. As the little boy reached the end of the block, Relic's eyes caught the familiar figure starring down at his feet as he hugged the brick wall of the building with his strides.

A flutter of whistles started echoing in every direction and Relic started searching for the origin of the sounds only to realize when she focused back on where Spot should be, he was gone. The little bell behind her jingled once as Ruin finally walked back out and placed a hand on the back of Relic's neck.

"Ready to go?" Ruin asked.

"Took you long enough." Relic complained grumpily. She had been just missing Spot Conlon for two days now, every time she caught a glance of him though something would distract her long enough for him to disappear.

"Cranky?" Ruin cracked a smile as he started skipping ahead of her.

"Why do I have to stand outside for ages while you go in and talk to your girl?" Relic spat annoyed.

"You could have come inside," Ruin shrugged.

"We have papers to sell," Relic complained.

"You could have kept selling them while I was inside, no one was making you do nothing." Ruin frowned. Relic's shortness with him was definitely starting to affect his cheery mood.

"Sorry, something just bothered me." Relic apologized.

"What bothered you?" Ruin asked.

"I keep barely missing Spot…" Relic sighed. Ruin stopped and turned to study his friend.

"Might you, maybe, be imagining seeing Spot Conlon everywhere?" Ruin suggested quietly.

"Why in Brooklyn would I be imagining Spot Conlon?" Relic demanded crossing her arms and daring Ruin to keep talking.

"Might you have feelings with a certain brooding leader of the lodging house we stay at…." Ruin said each word slowly, trying to make it less obvious that he was accusing his hot-tempered friend of having any having feelings for anyone. Relic threw a punch and hit Ruin in the elbow with more force than a playful fist.

"Or not, maybe not." Ruin cried out as he started rubbing his own elbow.

"I ain't never imagined anything in my whole life." Relic grumbled.

"Like when you thought Fink stole your coin pouch last week and gave him a black eye?" Ruin asked.

"That was a misunderstanding." Relic responded.

"Or when you swore that Bottle Cap was the last person to touch Spot's slingshot and got the boy bruised up for no reason…" Ruin smirked.

"I thought it was him!" Relic complained. The two were walking down a street, carefully wandering away from each other and in and out of conversation as they sold papers.

As they sold their last papers, Ruin turned around swinging his right leg above his ankle to face her again.

"Why are you looking for Conlon anyway?" He asked.

"I just, with the Christmas…" Relic tried to explain herself.

"You don't want him to say Thank you?" Ruin choked back a laugh.

"Why not?" Relic pouted.

"Because Spot Conlon doesn't say thank you." Ruin laughed.

"Well, he should." Relic frowned again.

"Go ahead and tell him that." Ruin waved his hand at Relic, daring her to try her hand and teaching Spot manners.

Spot was sitting perched on an empty crate, his eyes intent upon the working hands of Critter O'Connell. In Critter's left hand was a piece of wood that he was slowly turning as he pressed a knife into the wood with his right hand.

"You couldn't convince him of something else?" Critter muttered softly to Laces that sat near him falling asleep.

"Teach him how to do it himself." Laces yawned back.

"I should teach you how to do this Conlon," Critter nodded thoughtfully. He kept his eyes focused on the item in his hand, carefully moving his hand in minuscule movements creating small notches in the wood design.

"I prefer you to do it." Spot replied unabashed.

"Your pop taught me how to do this." Critter shook his head.

"Well you are an old timer." Spot cracked a smile.

"Watch your tone, sir." Critter warned carefully as he spun the item in his hands around.

"Have you thought about the proposal from that misfit over there?" Spot pointed at the fully asleep Laces.

"Laces is trouble enough by herself." Critter sighed.

"Relic might tame that." Spot suggested.

"Might, there is no sure thing." Critter commented.

"You have other birds that are girls," Spot pressed.

"And you have had a fancy for more than half of them too. Making my life complicated is not helping any Conlon." Critter finally shot a glare upwards at the young man sitting across from him.

"I don't have a fancy for Relic," Spot frowned.

"And I don't have Laces followed at night." Critter rolled his eyes.

"You have me followed?" Laces perked up with her eyes still closed.

"Just seeing if you're awake or faking it." Critter laughed.

"Sleeping," Laces yawned resting her head again. Critter smiled as he worked on the tiny details of the face of the wooden creature he was working on.

"So decide if the problem is Laces or the problem is me, and choose carefully." Spot's lip was set in a tight thin line and his jaw was locked.

"I believe sir, the problem is everything." Critter shook his head.

"Everything." Spot snorted.

"She is much less of a problem as a bird than as a newsie." Spot continued after moments of tensed silence.

"Possible." Critter nodded.

"And so?" Spot asked annoyed.

"You are still the leader of Brooklyn?" Critter asked, scrapping off a piece of wood.

"Yes." Spot nodded with a frown.

"And I am still the leader of the Birds, so mind your own business." Critter snapped back. Spot rolled his eyes but remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon.

As the night stars started to twinkle in the dark overcast evening sky, Relic climbed up onto the rooftop of the Brooklyn Lodging House. She was greatly hoping that Spot Conlon might be mysteriously sitting atop the rooftop, having a secret meeting or smoking a private cigarette. But there was no such luck for the newsgirl this night. She found the rooftop alone, quiet and cold under the blanket of stars.

She tugged on her maroon coat and sat down to look up at the stars. Even if she didn't' find Spot Conlon, it didn't mean she was about to admit defeat so easily. She lit a cigarette and started puffing away on her own, quietly debating the many ways in which she could manage to trap the elusive blond boy that lead the Brooklyn boys.

She sat there for the length of an entire cigarette and as she was begin to stand up to head back into the warmth of her own bunk, someone placed their arm on her shoulder. She jumped nervously looking up into the darkness to see the outline of the body of a boy. After a few blinks, she noticed the blond hair and the harsh blue eyes that were so familiar yet so distantly unknown at the same time.

"Spot?" Relic whispered.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Spot asked quietly before settling down next to her.

"No." Relic responded immediately, confused by his sudden presence. They sat in silence for an awkward moment before Spot spoke again.

"Here," He pushed out his right hand, holding a dark object. Relic immediately shot out her hand, like a greedy child and grabbed the object. She felt the pointy edges and smooth surfaces, gathering that it was of wood far before actually realizing it was a craved object. She held her eyes closed as she examined it with her hands, carefully running her fingers and then her palms against the item. Finally she opened her eyes and examined the object in the small shreds of moonlight.

"It's a bird?" Relic asked softly. The item in her hand was indeed a small bird craved from wood with details of large eyes and short wings.

"Yes." Spot nodded. He didn't make eye contact instead he just started lighting his own cigarette.

"For me?" Relic asked.

"Yes." Spot responded again as he placed the smoking cigarette into his mouth.

"For?" She probed though Relic knew. She understood the gesture, the gift offering of thanks.

"Christmas." Spot responded with a shrug. There was silence again as Relic examined her bird with both her hands cupped over the object as if someone were going to steal it.

"Did you like it?" She whispered.

Spot Conlon puffed at his cigarette slowly and deliberately thinking. A part of him knew that she would never just accept the present he offered, that she of all people would want an explanation.

"Yes." He nodded. "Did you like it?"

She smiled as she petted the tiny bird in her hand and nodded.

"Yes." She responded.

"Well alright then." Spot smiled as he handed her his half finished cigarette and lit another one for himself. The silence between them now was not awkward, nor forced, nor full of unknown mystery. Relic and Spot had come to an understanding between themselves and they were now comfortable just sitting with each other, admiring the sensation of the season under the very star of Bethlehem. Brooklyn was a strange place where sensation happened between the daily drudges; the miracles were small but magnificent when studied on with a naked eye. Brooklyn was a place where dreams did come true as easily as they were crushed and friends; friends were loyal even past the grave. Brooklyn was a borough of roughagens and vagabonds, crooks and thieves but all with a heart of gold and fists of lead and steel. But it was a place for hearts of gold, loyalty and trust on the right and on the left with grit, grind and violence. Things were never easy, never calm, never anything simple in Brooklyn.

"Relic," Spot sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas." Spot smiled.

"Merry Christmas." Relic laughed.

~*~The End~*~

_Author's Note: I argued, as a writer for half this story to make this the Relic Birds Origin Fic. But I could not as a friend, or a writer, take away such an opportunity from a friend to write their own history in terms of a universe. So I didn't, though I hinted at it often and did set up the background for it extensively. I decided against it about two chapters before ending it. So I hope you enjoyed Relic's Secret Santa Story, especially Miss Relic, as it was for you! I loved writing it! _

_Also if you didn't notice, the title and all chapter titles are based on O Little Town of Bethelem. ;)  
_


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